Instead, the Irish five-piece raged against the troubles that dogged every teenage lad - unrequited lust, embarrassing families and what to do on a Saturday night.
Derry of the 1970s was a hotbed of confrontation. The militarism that prevailed in the wake of the Battle of the Bogside meant every child there understood violence and intimidation more intimately than most.
Rather than turn to the likes of London's Sex Pistols for direction, the fledgling Undertones found they had more in common with New Yorkers the Ramones.
They recognised in that band's three-minute slabs of rudimentary pop the dark humour, youthful spirit and connection to American rock 'n' roll that bonded them as friends.
Sire, the American label that housed the Ramones, signed the Undertones on the strength of perfectly formed single Teenage Kicks. In 1979, the band's eponymous debut album hit the shelves, putting Derry's alternative music scene on the map.
In fact, a couple of versions of the album were released that year.
The second included pre-album singles Teenage Kicks and Get Over You alongside album singles Jimmy Jimmy and Here Comes The Summer, each song an adolescent anthem deserving of radio airplay and getting it, thanks to the softening up that punk had achieved.
The album is a charmingly up-front slice of pretension-free power-pop.
Choirboy-turned-frontman Feargal Sharkey delivers every line with unchallengeable conviction whether singing of dodgy familial connections, frustrated loners or irksome troublemakers, his quavering bleat one of the unique voices of its time.
Behind him, the guitars of O'Neill brothers Damian and John combine in a celebration of simple three-chord rock, tarted up with a touch of glam.
For the Undertones' loyal Derry fans, it was a powerfully positive way to drown out the sound of bombs, guns and tanks.
