TV Smith (The Adverts)

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 Iggy 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 headline tours throughout the UK, Europe, the U.S.A and Japan. In 2025 he set off on a world tour which included 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.