The Undertones - It's Going to Happen!

What this video is

Released 21 April 1981, weeks before Bobby Sands died during the IRA hunger strikes on 5 May 1981, this single occupied a uniquely charged political moment for a band from Derry, Northern Ireland. The song was partly written in reference to the 1981 hunger strikes, a radical departure from the Undertones' trademark teen-pop subject matter. The video's decision to deploy broad physical comedy rather than political…

Why it matters

Represents the post-punk new wave's formal maturation: the brass-augmented arrangement marked a sonic departure from the Undertones' earlier punk minimalism, and the concept-comedy video format signalled the genre's absorption of cinematic and theatrical traditions as the promotional clip became…

The director

Born London, 1953. English film, documentary, and music video director. Began career documenting the Sex Pistols (Sex Pistols Number 1, 1976; The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, 1980). By 1981 a leading UK promo director. Later directed Absolute Beginners…