TV Smith (The Legendary Voice Of The Adverts & TV Explorers) plus The Inklings Adv Tkts £13 OTD £16
Schedule
Sun, 11 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
The Green Room, Stockton | Stockton-on-tees, EN
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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 top twenty 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 Ig-gy Pop. The album 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’.”
After The Adverts broke up, TV went on to form TV Smith’s Explorers, who gained a UK chart hit in 1980 with the single “Tomahawk Cruise,” then at the end of the ’80’s formed Cheap, who payed many gigs in the UK and Europe, and released one album “RIP - Everything Must Go.” In the early ’90’s TV turned his hand to solo gigs at the suggestion of punk poet Attila The Stockbroker and released the acoustic-inspired album “March Of The Giants”on the Cooking Vinyl label. Since then he has established himself as the leading solo performer of the punk rock scene and has released many albums. He has also been involved in a number of collaborations with other bands, most notably with German superstars Die Toten Hosen, who performed as TV’s backing band on the album “Useless.”
TV most recent album is entitled “Handwriting,” and was released in April 2024 on the Easy Action label. Recorded in collaboration with renowned producer and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver, the pair created a record with a thrilling totally new musical landscape using no conventional rock instruments. Many critics called it the best album of his career, and following its success TV is already working on new songs and planning a new collaboration with Gerry for future release.
Fiercely independent and proudly embodying the original spirit of punk rock, TV performs as an acoustic solo artist all over the world, as well as playing occasional gigs with backup bands. Over the past few years he has supported Stiff Little Fingers, the Damned and Ruts DC on major tours in the UK, and played head-line tours throughout the UK, Europe, the U.S.A and Japan. In 2025 he set off on a world tour which includ-ed the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Ireland, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and North America, and he already has many gigs planned for 2026, including a tour of Australia.
A full-length BBC 4 documentary on TV Smith titled “We Who Wait: TV Smith & The Adverts” is available on YouTube:
Videos from the album “Handwriting:”
“Who’s Got The Time”
“Handwriting”
Latest news, archives, and a webshop can be found at:
https://tvsmith.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/onechordwonder
https://www.facebook.com/TVSmith77
“If you only buy one album this year, let it be ‘Handwriting’”
Dave Thompson, Goldmine
“‘Handwriting’ is a perfect album”
Henry Rollins, author and musician
“By far the best thing he has ever done. It sums up our age, our species, our situation, our existence. The last track, 'Children of a Dying Sun' is one of the most brilliant, moving songs I have ever heard.
Just....listen to it. Buy it. It is an unbelievable record.”
Attila The Stockbroker, musician
“‘Handwriting’ could arguably be the best post Advert work that he has delivered”
Louder Than War
“Although ‘punk legend’ isn’t a bad thing to have on your CV, the truth is that TV should also be mentioned in the same breath as writers like Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dyl-an...oh, and Joe Strummer. Despite 40 years of punk nothing much has changed really, and Smith manages to bottle that into beautiful street-wise poetry. With these songs he gives us hope in these dark times.”
Vive Le Rock
“Punk's most thoughtful lyricist and an electrifying live performer”
Tom Robinson, musician & broadcaster
“Probably the single most underrated songwriter of the last 50 years”
Neil Gaiman, author
Support: The Inklings
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Where is it happening?
The Green Room, Stockton, Pure Bliss Beauty Salon, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1AE, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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