“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
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 ChordWonders." Their next release, "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" became a hit record, leading to radio and TV appeaances 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’.”Immediately after the break up of The Adverts, TV formed TV Smith's Explorers, who gained a UK hit in1980 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 including “March Of The Giants” (1992), “Immortal Rich”1995), “Generation Y” (1999), “Not A Bad Day” (2003), “Misinformation Overload” (2006), “In The Arms Of My Enemy” (2008), “Coming In To Land” (2011), “The Acoustic Sessions” Volumes 1 & 2
(2013 & 2022), and “I Delete” (2014). 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.” Die Toten Hosen released TV’s album “Land Of The Overdose” worldwide on their label JKP/Warners in 2018.
Fiercely independent and proudly embodying the original spirit of punk rock, TV was playing over 100 gigs a year all over the world before Coronavirus hit in 2020. Over 60 gigs were subsequently cancelled, but not tobe daunted he went into his home studio and wrote and recorded eleven new songs inspired by the pandem-ic. The resulting album, “Lockdown Holiday,” was released on the Easy Action label in the UK at the beginning of 2021, and has been described by many critics as the best of his career.
As live music finally started up again in 2022, TV wasted no time in getting back to work, with three major tours in the UK supporting Stiff Little Fingers, the Damned and Ruts DC, as well as four appearances at the Rebellion punk festival, UK club dates, and European gigs in Germany, Switzerland and Finland. He also released two new records: the much-requested follow up to his “Acoustic Sessions” album, “Acoustic Sessions Volume 2,” and a studio version of his Rebellion set with the Bored Teenagers, “TV Smith & The Bored Teenagers Replay The Adverts.”
Indignation Meeting are a multi-generational band from Leeds, who sing tuneful, punky, railway-oriented ditties. Teenager Peter is the driver – he’s the drummer, lead singer and trumpet player, and also writes most of the songs. His musical influences include Blyth Power, Zounds, the Astronauts and Half Man Half Biscuit; he’s also frequently been compared to a young Pete Shelley. He’s joined by dad Michael on guitar, mum and/or sister on backing vocals, and on this occasion a bass replacement service due to regular bass player Hugo having a prior engagement.
Formed just before lockdown, they played their first live show in August 2021 and have been gigging regularly since. No two shows are the same – Peter likes a chat between songs, entertaining the audience with his storytelling and keeping the band on their toes by eschewing conventions like setlists.
Their 2023 self-released debut album ‘Trouble in the Shed’ highlighted important issues such as teddy-bear rights, model railway corruption and the future Olympic sport of swingball. The follow-up, A Model World, came out on Damaged Goods Records in late 2024, with more catchy tunes and witty lyrics, trains taking the forefront once again – and some politics thrown in for good measure. Tonight in Halifax they’ll be celebrating the release of their new single ‘Murder On the Santa Express’, a seasonally appropriate tale of a grumpy railway worker who really doesn’t want to play Father Christmas, out on Damaged Goods on December 5th .
This will be their 75th gig, and second visit to the Grayston Unity.
Tickets: members £14 from the bar/seetickets. Full £15 from the bar/seetickets. £16.50 otd.
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