T. V. Smith
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T.V. Smith (born Tim Smith, 5 April 1956, in Romford, Essex, now the London Borough of Havering, England) is a British punk rock singer songwriter, who was part of the band The Adverts in the late 1970s. Since then, he has played with other bands, as well as pursuing solo work.
He rose to prominence as the singer and songwriter of the punk band The Adverts, who are best known for their classic 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes". When The Adverts split up in November 1979, Smith formed a new band, T.V. Smith's Explorers. They released a single called "Tomahawk Cruise" (a reference to the BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise missiles) on the independent record label, Chiswick Records. The band recorded the album The Last Words of the Great Explorer, but it failed to achieve commercial success.
Smith's next band was named Cheap (TV Smith: Vox, Mik Heslin: gtr, Andy Bennie: bass, Howard Martin Deniz: drums). They toured from 1986 to 1991 all over Britain and included visits to Holland and France and released the politically charged single "Third Term". They also did a 'John Peel session' for the BBC at the Maida Vale studios. However, Cheap failed to find commercial backing for their album "RIP...Everything Must Go". It was finally released in 1995.
Smith next went solo and continues to perform as a solo artist today, recording and performing his own songs, often with the backing of a variety of other bands from around the world. This includes members of Germany's Die Toten Hosen, Finland's Punk Lurex OK, The United States' Midnight Creeps, and Spain's Suzy & Los Quattro. His album Misinformation Overload was released in Germany, the UK, Spain and Japan in 2006.
In 2005, he joined infamous chaotic American punk band Amen on their UK tour. As well as supporting, he joined the band on stage for several covers of classics by the Adverts, such as "One Chord Wonders", and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes". Casey Chaos, lead singer of Amen, is a life-long fan of The Adverts, and has even referenced them in a song title on the latest Amen album, Death Before Musick. The song is called "Hello (One Chord Lovers)".
In 2006 he contributed vocals to the song "Ein Jahr(es geht voran)" on the band Fehlfarben's album 26 1/2.
He is currently touring in the U.S. with Jay Reatard.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- 1983: Warfever - 7" single
- 1983: Channel Five - album
- 1992: March Of The Giants - CD
- 1994: We Want The Road - CD single
- 1994: Immortal Rich - CD
- 1995: Thin Green Line - CD single, recorded with Tom Robinson
- 1998: Generation Y - CD album
- 1999: The Future Used To Be Better - CD EP with Punk Lurex OK
- 2001: Useless - The Very Best Of T.V. Smith - German-only release, recorded with Die Toten Hosen as backing band
- 2003: What If? / New Church - 7" single recorded with Spain's Suzy & Los Quattro
- 2003: Not A Bad Day - CD
- 2003: Punk Aid - CD Single with various punk luminaries led by Captain Sensible
- 2004: Xmas Bloody Xmas - CD single with members from Die Toten Hosen / Tim Cross
- 2006: Misinformation Overload - CD
- 2007: T.V. Smith & The Bored Teenagers Perform Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts Live At The 100 Club London April 5th 2007 - Live-CD
- 2008: In The Arms Of My Enemy - CD
[edit] Bibliography
- T. V. Smith: Getting There – Punk Rock Tour Diaries: Volume One. Arima, Suffolk 2006, ISBN 978-1-84549-128-4.
- T. V. Smith: How to Feel Human – Punk Rock Tour Diaries: Volume Two. Arima, Suffolk 2009, ISBN 978-184549-360-8.
[edit] External links
- T.V. Smith website
- Full Discography, including band members and quotes from TV. Endorsed by TV.
- Live photos of TV performing with Jay Reatard in Brooklyn, NY 2009
[edit] Interview links
[edit] Video
- PUNKCAST#176 live @ Sidewalk Cafe NYC on July 7, 2002 (RealPlayer)
- PUNKCAST#339 live w/the Midnight Creeps @ Knitting Factory NYC on October 9, 2003 (RealPlayer)
