The Undertones

Inspired by the first wave of punk, Northern Ireland's Undertones emerged in the late 1970s with a style that combined punky energy with pop hooks, a la the Buzzcocks. They didn't stop there, though, and subsequent albums found them growing more ambitious, dipping into other genres and experimenting with different production approaches. The band broke up in the early '80s, with quavery-voiced singer Feargal Sharkey going solo and other members forming That Petrol Emotion. In the late '90s, the group reunited sans Sharkey, releasing an album of new material in 2003.

• rock