TV Smith (The Adverts) Acoustic Punk

Continuing the series of gigs at The Tannery with cult punk icon TV Smith of The Adverts playing some incredible music with his inevitable punk twist.

Support act TBC

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.

A full-length BBC 4 documentary on TV Smith titled “We Who Wait: TV Smith & The Adverts” is available
on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=fWZqYCsT2uk
Videos from the album “Handwriting:”
“Who’s Got The Time”
youtu.be/vzRsrKlL5mM
“Handwriting”
youtu.be/KnfJVHYsjIM
Latest news, archives, and a webshop can be found at:
tvsmith.co.uk/
facebook.com/onechordwonder
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
Dylan...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

We will be offering 2 distinct ticket types both priced the same:

- Standing tickets on the ground floor close to the action!

- Seated tickets on 1st and 2nd floors which will include premium table service throughout. Speakers on each floor will connect to the music so you won't miss any action. There will be a live feed via TV screens too.