A Short History of the Adverts: Punk, Optimism and Bored Teenagers

The Adverts were one of the first punk bands formed after the initial burst of Sex Pistols mania. In the summer of 1976 founding member Tim Smith was studying in Devon when he read a review of the Pistols in the NME. The article inspired him to travel to London to see what all the fuss was about and to see Rotten and co. live. As well as the Sex Pistols he managed to watch the Damned, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Clash. He decided that if they could do it so could he. Punk do-it-yourself in action.

The first thing the young Tim Smith did was change his name to TV Smith. He managed to persuade college friend Gaye (Advert) to join his embryonic band along with Lorry Driver and Howard Pickup. The Adverts were formed. Now it was just the simple task of writing the songs and learning the instruments. Forgetting about the latter and after a very short period of practice the Adverts played their debut gig at the now esteemed Roxy club. It was January 1977 and just a few weeks later they were signed to the seminal Stiff Records after being spotted by Brian James of the Damned.

They were Stiff's second signing and were central to spreading the good name of punk throughout the British Isles. With their rudimentary songs they promoted the famous slogan written by Mark Perry of Sniffin' Glue fame: "here's one chord, here's another... now go form a band". The words accompanied pictures of three basic guitar tabs on the cover of the xeroxed handwritten DIY fanzine. By the summer of 1977 the Adverts were playing on BBC prime time music show "Top Of The Pops" in front of an audience on millions. complete with female bassist Gaye Advert. The message was clear. If the Adverts could do it then anyone could.

It wasn't only punk's first poster girl that the band had going for it. TV Smith's writing was more objective than the slogan spitting words of Strummer, Rotten, and maybe Weller. He used a rudimentary reportage within his songs. The words seemed simple yet the message was a little more challenging. Namely, you better watch out because we're bored and the times they sure are a-changin'. It had a familiar ring to it but the context was different. The only thing that was blowing in the wind was the smell of unwashed jeans, leather jackets, beer and sick, oh yeah and the whiff of unrequited cultural change. TV Smith managed to catch the mood of the times with songs like "Bored Teenagers", "New Day Dawning" and "One Chord Wonders". All were on the band's debut album "The Red Sea With The Adverts". Its an album of optimism. Optimism hardly gets a look-in when punk is discussed, its a forgotten element of the times. There is always a general feeling of optimism when a change seems round the corner, or when a new cultural milestone is within reach. Yet punk is only ever discussed in terms of negativity and nihilism. Punk was fun.

The 'fun' can be heard in their best songs. A song like the seemingly horrific "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" with its strangely uplifting rabble-rousing chorus. The Adverts were good at writing a catchy chorus. It's something they have in common with the Buzzcocks. The Adverts, along with the Buzzcocks, are the true sound of punk and give a reliable insight into what the scene was really all about: teenagers who were bored.