Sunday 19th December sees the good folk of Teesside presented with an opportunity to get up close and personal with a true punk-rock icon as the legendary TV Smith returns to the area for the sixth time, this time at our very own NE Volume Music Bar in Stockton.
TV Smith is a man who has remained true to his punk-rock roots since day one. In a career spanning five decades, Smith first rose to prominence as the voice of The Adverts, whose genre-defining hits ‘One Chord Wonders’, ‘Bored Teenagers’ and ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’ took the punk scene by storm when they first tore through the airwaves in 1977. After two albums, four Peel Sessions and tours with the likes of The Damned and Iggy Pop, The Adverts called it a day in 1979. Smith continued with TV Smith’s Explorers and Cheap throughout the 1980s before embarking on a prolific solo career in the 1990s which has seen him perform with acts as diverse as German rock royalty Die Toten Hosen and American hardcore punk/alt-metal nihilists Amen, releasing eleven studio albums and various compilations along the way.
It is this relentless commitment to the DIY punk-rock ethic which sees Smith regularly perform over 120 gigs a year in addition to penning five books worth of tour diaries, each released to rave reviews from critics.
It is also what has endeared him to promoter, Steve Harland. When asked if he felt as though Smith was a perfect match for his own promotions company, he enthused: “Totally. He espouses everything we stand for. He sings about contemporary issues which affect us all. And this being a solo acoustic gig, it seemed a perfect chance to support the NE Volume venue.”
With such a dense back catalogue of material, fans can expect a different experience at every gig. He goes into each performance without a set-list in mind and is known to cover material from The Adverts right up to his most recent solo release, 2020’s aptly titled, ‘Lockdown Holiday’. Armed with his acoustic guitar, infectious hooks and scathing socio-political commentary, this promises to be a unique opportunity to see one of punk-rock’s seminal performers in a truly intimate setting, with the capacity limited to 100 people.
Support on the night comes from punk poets, Cherry & Peesh.
Tickets, priced at £10.00 in advance, are available at seetickets.com.
