Name: TV Smith + Quick Romance + 51st State, The Thunderbolt, Bristol, 24/07/26
Start: 2026-07-24T19:30:00+01:00
Location: Thunderbolt Bristol

$TV Smith + Quick Romance + 51st State, The Thunderbolt, Bristol, 24\/07\/26$

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.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.
Support -
Quick Romance
If the bass line from The Rezillos’ “Flying Saucer Attack” married the vocal line from X-Ray Spex’s “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!”, with The Shangri-Las as bridesmaids; that’s Quick Romance. Singer, Matilda Scotland and her bandmates are real mean teens, in love with clothes, music and Brian Jones’s hair.
“Despite their tender years they combine raw talent with a knowledge of old school ’77 punk that manifests itself in a tight set that nods in the direction of X-Ray Spex. Definitely ones to watch.” – Vive Le Rock!

51st State
2 piece drums'n' bass punks from Southwest England. Punk/dub/industrial.