Tonight, 25th March, Swinton comic Tony Kinsella appears live at Clifton Cricket Club on Manchester Road with his top show based around cult band The Undertones.
After writing and performing an entertaining and informative show all about 60s girl group The Shangri Las, Tony Kinsella turned his focus to another one of his passions, The Undertones. The resulting show is the fantastic. More Jokes about Girls and Chocolate, provides a great opportunity to catch the show before Tony takes it to the band's hometown of Derry. Expect plenty of laughs, facts and a healthy slice of nonsense.
Tony first saw The Undertones at Leeds University as a fresh-faced undergraduate teenager in 1981. In 2017, he returned to the same venue to see a new version of the band. After watching the band as a 'jaded and cynical lecturer', he was left to ponder the iconic question at the start of Teenage Kicks …. 'Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?'
In the thirty-plus years between the two gigs, what became of Tony's teenage dreams …and those of The Undertones?
"My show is specifically about seeing them at Leeds Uni in 1981 when I was a wet behind the ears English Lit undergrad and then seeing the post-Fergal version in the same room in 2017" he explains "I am riffing on the opening line of Teenage Kicks - 'Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?' In 1981 both myself and The Undertones were just emerging from our teens, so the show traces what became of my teenage dreams and those of The Undertones in the 36 years between these two gigs. It's a parallel narrative."
More Jokes about Girls and Chocolate examines a great band, but also has an autobiographical element. It's interesting premise that offers opportunity to discuss whether Tony's fledgling plans came to fruition, and if The Undertones continued to provide a relevant soundtrack to his life. Tony went on to work in education as The Undertones continued their recording career. More Jokes about Girls and Chocolate compares and contrasts two divergent career paths.
Tony sums up why he has such an enduring affection for The Undertones; "The Undertones were the soundtrack of my youth and a lifelong passion. I love the fact that they hail from a city that was effectively at civil war throughout their youth but largely sang about non-political topics. My show is called More Jokes About Chocolate And Girls as a homage to the fact that they did a love song to the Mars Bar and then opened their second album, Hypnotised, with a song called More Songs About Chocolate And Girls."
Expect a smart and poignant tribute to great band, and a night 'choc-full' of entertainment.
Tony Kinsella
More Jokes about Girls and Chocolate
Monday 25th March
Clifton Cricket Club 7:45pm free but donations welcome
Manchester Road M27 6NB
For more details click here
Words by Ian Leslie
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