TV Smith

TV Smith was founder member, singer and songwriter for the Adverts, who formed in late 1976, and were one of the leading bands in the first wave of British punk rock.

In early 1977, they performed regularly at the newly-opened Roxy Club in London, and gained cult success with the Stiff Records single "One Chord Wonders." Their next release, "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" became a hit record, leading to radio and TV appearances and extensive media interest.

A further single, “No Time To Be 21,” also entered the charts, and the band spent the rest of the year playing live, including major tours with The Damned and Iggy Pop. The al bum that followed in early 1978, "Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts," is still considered a genuine classic of the era and is often cited as one of the twenty best punk albums ever released.

The Adverts released one more album, “Cast Of Thousands,” before they split in 1979. Slammed by the critics at the time, the album was later re-released to universal acclaim, and described by Mojo magazine as “the long lost punk album that rivals The Clash’s ‘London Calling’.”

Immediately after the break up of The Adverts, TV formed TV Smith's Explorers, who gained a UK hit in 1980 with the single “Tomahawk Cruise” and released one album, “Last Words Of The Great Explorer” a year later. Lack of commercial success led to the band being dropped by their record label and their subsequent split.

TV re-entered the live arena in 1986 with Cheap, before performing his first gigs as a solo artist in the early ’90’s. Since then he has established himself as the leading solo performer of the punk rock scene and has released a succession of albums. 

A full-length BBC 4 documentary on TV Smith titled “We Who Wait: TV Smith & The Adverts” is available on YouTube.