John Robb "Punk Rock Ruined My Life: And Other Stories" Book Launch & Gaye Advert Interview at Jacksons Lane Art Centre Highgate, 3rd June 2026

We attended a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the excellent Jacksons Lane Arts Centre in the company of John Robb, the acclaimed music journalist, TV presenter, author, frontman of The Membranes and Goldblade and of course, a cultural ambassador for Blackpool. John was on tour promoting his new autobiography "Punk Rock Ruined My Life: And Other Stories". It was a night of two halves - the first section featured John delivering an impressive one-man blast through his early years, clutching the mic stand as if he was fronting one of his bands. Then after the interval, John introduced special guest Gaye Black, or Gaye Advert as she was once known in her time as the iconic bassist with The Adverts, to discuss her life in Music and Art. In fact, this format runs throughout the intensive nationwide tour, with John's 'solo' talk followed by a Q&A session with various musical pals depending on the show's location, these included such luminaries as Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai, Pauline Murray from Penetration, Holly from The Lovely Eggs, Steve & Paul Hanley from The Fall and Dave Rowntree from Blur.

John discussed his early life, growing up in Blackpool and how he felt it was such an uncool place that it meant he didn't have to worry about trying to be 'cool'. He talks about discovering music from a very early age and he was particularly taken by "Yellow Submarine" although he preferred the Pinky & Perky version rather than the Beatles original and admits he thought The Wombles were cool. He fell in love with Glam Rock, especially David Bowie and as an avid reader of the music press he found out about Punk Rock. In a bid to look Punk, John started buying clothes in local Oxfam shops, borrowing his Dad's string vest and piercing his ears using a compass and piece of cork. He nails what it was like growing up in the 70's, throwing in some nostalgic comments on those radioactive orange three-bar electric heaters and the state of English cuisine, where the only use of olive oil was when your Mum soaked a piece of cotton wool in it to stick in your ear when you had earache. It's these hilarious vignettes that have many of us laughing and sighing in recognition. 

 

Those shared generational experiences don't happen so much in modern life, and an example of this was Top of The Pops, where the whole nation was glued to the TV on a Thursday evening. John talks about forming The Membranes - taking the Punk motto of you don't need to be able to play music to form a band to a new level. He explains how The Membranes became cool in America and how Dinosaur Jr filmed the video to "Freak Scene" in his garden. Unfortunately, one hour just wasn't enough so we only get to the part where he takes his first steps into music journalism contributing to magazines such as Sounds and Zig Zag. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the book to continue on the journey and hopefully I'll find out if Punk Rock did ruin John's life or indeed, save it.

Please check out John Robb's web-site here for details on the remaining Tour dates and updates on all his many and varied projects. You can order "Punk Rock Ruined My Life" here. 

Gaye Black will be curating an Art Exhibition and appearing at the "50 Years of Punk" event at the John Peel Centre in Stowmarket which runs from 9th-14th June. For more information on her Art please check out her web-site here. You can also still download or stream our special Retrosonic Podcast with Gaye, where she discusses her life in music and art and plays some of her favourite records for us.

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black, Artist & Former Bassist with The Adverts

Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia - A New Publication by Gaye and Leonor Faber-Jonker

Leonor Faber-Jonker of SAGO Press will release a collaborative publication along with Gaye Black in August. Titled "Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia" it collates twelve items from Gaye's own personal collection of memorabilia and looks at the stories behind each object. With photographs by Eric Waring and designed by Maud Van Rossum and Riso printed, the limited edition publication comes in two versions with some superb extras included. I spoke to Leonor and Gaye about this great project so please read on for the background behind it...

Leonor, how did you discover The Adverts and when did you first meet Gaye?

Leonor: I met Gaye at Rebellion Festival, I think it was in 2006 maybe. I was a big fan of The Adverts, when I was 14 I got my first Punk compilation CD and The Adverts were on there and it was one of the tracks that stood out. I didn't even have a computer at that age and then when I got a computer I started looking up things about The Adverts and I noticed Gaye of course and I thought she looked so cool so I kind of modelled my look on this one grainy picture I had of her, so yeah I was really a big fan.

So when you first met Gaye you didn't have any idea of doing a book or anything like that?

L: I must have been nineteen and I was still working out, finding out what I wanted to do and stuff so it was just more like being starstruck. Then I started organising gigs around that same time, I organised a couple of gigs for TV Smith in the Netherlands, and then I saw Gaye.

So that's similar to me, I also got to know Gaye through promoting TV Smith gigs, where were you putting on your shows?

L: In the Hague at a bar that was run by people who before they ran a squat and when that shut down they opened this very nice little bar with a stage called De Vinger. I put on a couple of shows there for TV Smith but also John Cooper-Clarke which is really wild as he's playing really big venues now. Of course I got talking to Gaye and she was just really sweet, I also bought some of her artwork, I think I bought two or three.

So, when did you get to the point of deciding on doing this project, how did you come up with the idea?

L: Well, I'm really interested in how objects carry a meaning so that's something I do a lot of research on and I'm very interested in family heirlooms or souvenirs. Also how objects change meaning over time 'cos if you carry it with you through your life then it will change, it will signify different things for different moments, so that's kind of the background. Then I have this publishing company SAGO Press and with that I want to make books that are based on archives and I also focus on female artists and musicians from the Punk era or the Post-Punk era of the 80's and started with Truus de Groot who was a Post-Punk pioneer in the Netherlands who went to New York when she was very young. So, it kind of went very naturally 'cos I was thinking for a while as I was organising gigs before and I'd stopped doing that I wanted to offer a platform again to other people or collaborate in a DIY way again. I was thinking maybe a magazine, maybe this or maybe that, and then I came across these photos by Truus de Groot and then I realised this would make a perfect book. Anyway, so I had this publishing house and then of course I thought of Gaye who I'd stayed in touch with as she also came to the HOK Gallery in the Hague and I wrote an essay for her exhibition she had there. I thought it would just be great to make a booklet together and we were just sitting talking, Eric was there too and it just came together and I think Eric might have said, what about the memorabilia objects, so yeah, it just happened.

Eric Waring is the photographer who took the majority of the photos in the book, it's lucky that Gaye has kept most of her memorabilia and prized possessions.

L: Yeah, in a very sort of conscious way and what she kept, she kept it carefully, or even not carefully like with the leather jacket she just put in the garden when it was finally returned by somebody who stole it after decades. She had this leather jacket that she was always wearing in all those iconic photographs and it was stolen from a dressing room in Ireland and she didn't see it for decades and then suddenly it was posted back anonymously. So, she just had this jacket but it was really mouldy and horrible when she got it back so she put it in the garden and it became a home for spiders, but even then it's a caring way to interact with an object.

It's amazing that she got it back, so you've chosen twelve items, how did you start off?

L: The starting point was Gaye's memorabilia collages because she made this series of digital collages and the objects are all in there so that was the starting point, but then Eric had to re-photograph them for the book as the images were not so suitable for printing.

Gaye's left the music world and she's now an Artist and she does use a lot of her memorabilia in her artwork which is really effective isn't it.

L: Yeah, there are a lot of personal mementoes also from before and after the Punk era, all her artworks are filled with personal significant little things.

So the booklet itself is beautifully produced, I'm really happy as I've got to actually look at it finally, and Gaye is writing about the background to each item with some great photos by Eric. You've also included some postcards, you've got a reproduction of the rat sticker that was on her bass and you've even got a reproduction of the fantastic The Damned and The Adverts advert on newspaper, it's almost like it's come out of Sounds in 1976. That's 'The Damned can now play three chords The Adverts can play one, hear all four of them' and then you've got all the tour dates and that's the famous picture of Gaye and Dave Vanian which I'm sure will be familiar to many people. So you get these nice little extras which I think makes it a little bit special and you've done two versions of the booklet, you've got this version that I've got here and then you've got one in a deluxe special edition.

L: Yeah the special edition, I mean the regular version is quite special as it is, if I may say so myself! So the main extras are the poster and three postcards and the rat sticker, I had to cut out 300 rats so I hope you guys appreciate it! It's Riso printed which is quite a special technique and comes in a limited edition of 150 copies in total and numbers 1-25 are the special editions and they come with a signed A4 print of one of Gaye's memorabilia collages, a very nice print.

I won't give everything away on what's in the booklet, people will have to buy it to find out, but some of the more interesting items featured include Iggy Pop's dog collar and a Ramones baseball bat which are quite bizarre, and there's a battered tour suitcase along with other various bits and pieces which I won't give away yet but it's nice to hear the stories behind them. When I got this copy I thought, 'oh wow this must be the deluxe edition' but there's all the extras that come with the standard version too so it's very good value. So, the book will be available from August, you're going to be at the Rebellion Festival in August, will you be there over the whole weekend?

L: I will be yeah, Gaye will have a stall and I'm just a hanger-on, then there's a Q&A session where we're officially presenting it.  

So if you're at Rebellion from August 7th-10th you can pick up a copy or you can order the book from here. Leonor, you said you're getting orders from all over the place already.

L: Yeah from Australia and Mexico, I was really surprised, many orders from the United States, California it's quite surprising and then many from the Netherlands as well.

You've done some previous publications haven't you, including old fanzines and Dutch Punk and things like that as well.

L: Yeah, quite a few publications now, I started by writing a book about Dutch Punk that came out in 2012, and that was because I knew quite a lot about UK bands but I had no idea about what was going on in the Netherlands at that time so I became really curious what was here. Why do I know so many bands in the UK but what else was going on, so that was the starting points of my research. Then I also have quite a few other interests but I always come back to Punk and Post-Punk.

So do you think this idea you have here is something you could spread out to other musicians that you know?

L: I never like to do the same thing twice so I always want to reinvent myself or my work so the publications I've done with Sago now, so far one is photographs and snapshots taken in New York and then there's one coming out with drawings by Dirk Polak from the Dutch New Wave band Mecano. What I like is talking to underground musicians and artists, finding out what they have that has never seen the daylight, that people are not aware of, that's what I really like, digging that out. It's a private archive so what I like to do with my publications is that you have the feeling like you are actually visiting the person, you become a little bit closer to the person, it's biographical in the end.

We're now joined by Gaye and I was wondering how you both narrowed it down to 12 items?

L: Well, it started at Rebellion from the memorabilia collage artwork, there were ten of them, then the final selection was quite tricky actually.

Tell us about Iggy's dog collar Gaye...

Gaye: In 1977 The Adverts were asked to do the U.K. tour with Iggy and throughout the course of that he was always trying to give me items of his clothing, like that raincoat in that picture of him and Patti Smith but I said no, I don't have room for that, so he had this dog collar and he said "would you like that?" and I said OK.

How did you get hold of a Ramones baseball bat? 

G: It was the first time they played in London at the Roundhouse and at the end of the gig Joey came out from the side of the stage and he was giving out these promotional baseball bats and I had one. But I think most people probably couldn't be bothered to carry them home so they became really rare but I held on to it and I've had it ever since, it's not a full size baseball bat, it's there under the TV if you want to see it!

What about the battered old suitcase?

G: This is an old suitcase of my parents that they gave me when I moved to London that was living up in my attic room and it came with me when we went off on tour, 'cos it was the only thing I had. We didn't have rucksacks or things in those days, so I lived out of that for several years. The stickers, I'm a great one for sticking any stickers onto things, a random selection, that big Damned one on the front, that's from their first album I think, carefully unpeeled.

The suitcase is like one of your works of art, one of your collages in itself, you've got backstage passes, Motorhead stickers you've got the Damned one.

G: There's a couple of more contemporary ones too, like The Briefs, but that's quite an old Briefs one, that's probably vintage by now.

L: It's also kind of nice that you haven't kept it as a museum piece, it's just part of your life and still is.

G: Yeah, it was but it's kind of broken now so I can't use it anymore.

So what was it like for you going through looking at these items, was it interesting to drag up the back stories behind them?

G: Yes, I haven't kept all that many things but I had the idea for doing my memorabilia series at Rebellion in 2016 'cos that was their anniversary gig and they went down really well, so I've been doing variations on them. I don't have that many objects and Leonor is a great collector and object fan and she had this idea so she came round here and narrowed it down to what's in the book. 

Well it's great, it's a really unique way of looking at someone's musical life rather than a just a typical biography, list of dates or tour diary it's an unusual take 'cos of all the stories behind the items.

G: I very rarely get rid of anything, I value the things that have memories and if I do get rid of anything it's usually something that I've had more recently so the core things remain.

I don't want to give too much away, people will have to buy the book to find out what's inside. You'll be at Rebellion Festival doing a Q&A session and having your art on display and I guess the books will be on sale.

G: Yes, I'll be interviewed and Leonor will be doing a presentation during my interview and I'll be selling new art stuff in the adjoining room to the literary stage.

Thanks to Leonor and Gaye, as mentioned if you are at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool this year, you'll be able to pick up a copy directly and also check out Gaye's fantastic art. Otherwise, you can order from SAGO Press at this link, find out more about Leonor's projects at her web-site here and you can check out Gaye Black Art here.

Don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast interview special with Gaye is still available to listen to, stream or download, where she discusses her life in Music and Art. Gaye takes us on a musical journey from growing up in a small town in north Devon and discovering music for the first time to buying her first record. We then discover what lured her into Rock 'n' Roll and what inspired her to play the bass. There are tales of her experiences of moving to London, being right at the heart of the early Punk Rock explosion and of course her time with The Adverts. This leads onto the bands and the characters she met and toured with along the way such as Iggy Pop, Lemmy and The Damned. We also cover her DJ'ing and the inspirations on her own Art as well as her time curating Art Exhibitions and working on the artwork for record covers by U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs. The episode is sound-tracked by Gaye's personal selection of her favourite songs from The Adverts and some of Gaye's most inspirational musical moments including Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, The Damned, The Beatles, Mayhem, Motorhead, The Phobics, Mayhem, Turbonegro, Cyanide Pills, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, A Place To Bury Strangers, U.K. Subs and the Fireball XL5 Theme...! 

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black, Artist & Former Bassist with The Adverts

Ruts DC & TV Smith at Sub89 Reading, May 17th 2023

Ruts DC take the stage of Reading's SUB89 to a Reggae version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and launch into "Faces In The Sky" from the excellent new album "CounterCulture?" It's a slow-burning paranoid number with a throbbing undertow and a snaking Middle-Eastern guitar riff. A brilliant start to a blistering set from Ruts DC as they continued on part two of their "CounterCulture?/Faces In The Sky" U.K. tour. The band are looking very cool, Dave Ruffy in particular is looking in great shape. Then there's Segs in fedora and shades underpining everything with his superb bass playing and excellent voice. Guitarist Leigh Heggarty in black and white polka dot shirt, waistcoat, trilby and round shades is every inch the guitar hero and there's a great chemistry and interplay between the three of them. Next up it's "S.U.S.", "You're Just A..." and "It Was Cold", a triple hit of tracks from their classic album "The Crack" and you realise, probably a little sadly, that the topics The Ruts tackled at the time of recording the album are unfortunately, still all too prevalent today. Certainly, "S.U.S." seems as relevant now as it did 40 years ago and of course "Jah War" too and the haunting line "when the truncheon came down and knocked him to the ground" could be a line from the brand new record.

 

Dave Ruffy jokingly comments after "No Time To Kill" from 1981's "Animal Now" that when they wrote the song they thought it would end all war and they thought Rock Against Racism would end racism. Sadly, some forty years later nothing much has changed but Ruts DC certainly haven't given up on trying and their protest songs that are packed full of social conscience are needed now more than ever. The new album "CounterCulture?" is probably more musically diverse and adds more Reggae and Dub elements to the intense sonic attack of the last album "Music Must Destroy" and this mix of new material perfectly complements the old classics so that the set-list is a seamless non-stop delight of musical gems one after another. I was really pleased they included "Poison Games", one of my favourites from the new album and "Kill The Pain" in particular is a masterclass in anthemic songwriting. Segs and Leigh swapped instruments for a rare run through of "Despondency" from "Animal Now", Leigh proving that he's a pretty damn good bassist too.

 

Of course, I've waxed lyrical many times in these pages of how impressive I think Leigh's guitar work is - not just in replicating Paul Fox's iconic sound on the older nunbers but in the way he's stamped his own identity on the current Ruts DC. I noted a nifty bit of Wilko Johnson style simultaneous rhythm and lead riffing on "Jah War" that was pretty special. The great thing about live music is that it's sometimes the unexpected and out of the blue moments that really hit you and tonight it's "Pretty Lunatics", the low key campfire singalong from the new album. Kind of like The Soundtrack of Our Lives "The Passover" or Pixies "Where Is My Mind?" which on record might seem pleasant and unassuming songs but become transformed into mightily effective and emotional crowd favourites when played live. Of course, we do get the run of classic Ruts singles "Babylon's Burning", "Staring At The Rude Boys", "Something That I Said" and "West One (Shine On Me)" which go down a storm with the adoring crowd as you would expect, but it's the strenght of the new material that really impresses. Certainly, Ruts DC are going from strength to strength and are as vital and relevant today as they have ever been.

 

Don't forget our two special Retrosonic Podcast specials with Leigh Heggarty are still available, always a thoroughly entertaining guest, you can listen/stream download from Spotify or our Soundcloud archive here. For more information on Ruts DC and how to order "CounterCulture?" please check out their official web-site here. Before the show, Leigh introduced me to Roland Link author of the definitive story of The Ruts and Ruts DC "Love In Vain" which is a must-have for any Ruts fan - check it out here if you haven't already got a copy. You can hear Dennis Lyxzén from The (International) Noise Conspiracy and Refused on his new Wingmen style 'supergroup' Fake Names (which features members of Minor Threat, Bad Religion and Fugazi) talking about the impact that The Ruts had on their new band and the 80's Washington DC Hardcore Punk scene in our recent Retrosonic Podcast here. You can see more videos from the show by subscribing to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 2: Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC

It was great to see TV Smith again too - I enjoyed his set with a full band supporting the original line-up of The Damned at Hammersmith Apollo but now he's back solo, just him and his acoustic guitar opening up on a few few dates during the tour. It was a great set that included the best of his solo career including "Expensive Being Poor", "Generation Y", "Immortal Rich" and one of my personal favourites, "You Saved My Life Then Ruined It" and included some promising new songs, with one in particular going down well called "One Minute To Midnight". Despite the quailty of the solo material, inevitably it's The Adverts classics that get the best reaction and the timeless appeal of "Gary Gilmore's Eyes", "One Chord Wonders", "Safety In Numbers" and "No Time To Be 21" prove what an underated band The Adverts were. Like Ruts DC, TV Smith's politically charged protest songs are needed now more than ever and it's refreshing and inspiring to know that the fire still burns bright in both. You can listen to our Retrosonic Podcast special with TV Smith in our archive here.

You can see more videos from the show by subscribing to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here.

Retrosonic Podcast Lockdown Lowdown Episode 16 with Gaye (Advert) Black

For the latest episode of our Lockdown Lowdown Podcast series we welcome former bassist with The Adverts, Gaye Black into the virtual Retrosonic studio to discuss her life in Music and Art. In this thoroughly entertaining episode, Gaye takes us on a musical journey from growing up in a small town in north Devon and discovering music for the first time to buying her first record. We then discover what lured her into Rock 'n' Roll and what inspired her to play the bass. There are tales of her experiences of moving to London, being right at the heart of the early Punk Rock explosion and of course her time with The Adverts. This leads onto the bands and the characters she met and toured with along the way such as Iggy Pop, Lemmy and The Damned. We also cover her DJ'ing and the inspirations on her own Art as well as curating Art Exhibitions and working on the artwork for record covers by U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs. The episode is sound-tracked by Gaye's personal selection of her favourite songs from The Adverts and some of Gaye's most inspirational musical moments including Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, The Damned, The Beatles, Mayhem, Motorhead, The Phobics, Mayhem, Turbonegro, Cyanide Pills, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, A Place To Bury Strangers, U.K. Subs and the Fireball XL5 Theme...! So, crank up the volume, sit back and enjoy!

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black of The Adverts

Track-listing (click on the highlighted band name for further information)

The Beatles "She Loves You"

Don Spencer "Theme From Fireball XL5"

The Rolling Stones "19th Nervous Breakdown"

Black Sabbath "Paranoid"

The Adverts "Gary Gilmore's Eyes"

The Stranglers "Walk On By"

The Adverts "One Chord Wonders"

The Adverts "Bored Teenagers"

Motorhead "Motorhead"

The Damned "Neat Neat Neat"

Iggy Pop "Lust For Life"

Iggy Pop "Tonight"

The Adverts "Love Songs"

The Adverts "Great British Mistake"

Mayhem "Freezing Moon"

Turbonegro "Are You Ready (For Some Darkness)"

The Phobics "When You're Dead"

Ramones "Teenage Lobotomy"

The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing "Victoria's Secret"

Iggy & The Stooges "Search & Destroy"

Cyanide Pills "Suicide Bomber"

A Place To Bury Strangers "I Know I'll See You"

U.K. Subs "Warhead"

With many thanks to Gaye. For further information on Gaye's Artwork please check out her official Gaye Black Art web-site here. Retrosonic theme tune by Adam Donovan. Podcover photos and artwork by Minna Waring (top left), Retro Man Blog & Gaye Black. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Soundcloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

Correction from Gaye: "I meant the Marquee, not the 100 Club when I was talking about The Stranglers!" (22mins:23secs)

TV Smith and Eight Rounds Rapid at The Railway Hotel Southend-on-Sea December 07th

TV Smith and admirer - Photo by Paul Hughes

It’s no wonder that TV Smith has gone on record as saying Southend-on-Sea’s Railway Hotel is one of his favourite venues in the U.K. to play. They are a great match, both without huge (if any) financial backing but both tirelessly fighting their respective creative corners as true individuals in a sea of soulless branded chain venues and an equally soulless music industry. The Railway’s managers, Fi and Dave, put on a bewildering array of eclectic musical acts of all genres, along with film screenings and parties, often free or with a minimal cover-the-costs entrance fee such as this gig’s bargain ticket price of just £3.00. Tonight is a perfect example of what they offer, downstairs in the bar, Steve Hooker is entertaining the drinkers with his raw Rockabilly songs, augmented by a snare drummer, double bass and harmonica, it creates a lively buzz and is a perfect warm up for the night’s main event. This event is actually another joint get together with Retro Man Blog, Podrophenia DJ’s Piley & Mondo and Steve Pegrum’s excellent Southend Punk web-site for a night of great live music, DJ sets and of course a severe bout of boozing and socialising. 

Eight Rounds Rapid by Paul Hughes

I was really pleased that we could get local band Eight Rounds Rapid to open the show, I have been really impressed with what I have heard from them, and we received quite a few glowing comments after we played their last single “Channel Swimmer” in Retrosonic Podcast Episode 7. They have also started to get much wider recognition from respected BBC DJ’s Gideon Coe, Steve Lamacq and also David Quantick amongst others as well as some high profile shows supporting Wilko Johnson at London’s Koko. Now, here’s the thing. It’s very difficult to talk about Eight Rounds Rapid without mentioning Wilko Johnson, not just because they are both based in Southend but mainly due to the fact that guitarist Simon is Wilko’ s son. It might not be so apparent when listening to their recorded work, but live, Simon’s hugely impressive staccato guitar playing and his onstage mannerisms, although not quite as wired as Wilko’s, are cut from the same black-suited cloth. 

Eight Rounds Rapid by Paul Hughes

It’s also nice to see Wilko in the crowd tonight and he catches up with TV Smith and Steve Hooker, who he has recorded with in the past, as well as politely and patiently chatting to lots of awestruck punters. But despite that, Eight Rounds Rapid have forged their own idiosyncratic sound and are refreshingly very difficult to pin down – it’s a style that I guess could be said to almost divide opinion. With front man David’s deadpan delivery and half-spoken vocals, which are firmly rooted in A-House, Art Brut, Blue Aeroplanes territory, they challenge the expected norms of what a “Rock” band should be. They also occasionally remind me of Wire’s art project approach to being in a band, where they push the boundaries and limits between melody and noise, of what’s pleasantly catchy and what can grate and challenge the listener. It’s not to be filed under easy listening that’s for sure. But live they truly excel tonight, and Eight Rounds Rapid conjure up a powerfully hypnotic force on their slightly sinister little gems such as “Dostoevsky”, “Steve” and “Channel Swimmer”. 

Wilko Johnson and son Simon from Eight Rounds Rapid by Paul Hughes

The superb rhythm section of drummer Lee and bassist Jules lock in together perfectly and it’s nice to see a real onstage chemistry. It’s only on the swaggering bluesy beast of "My Mate" and a new song “I Want a Drink”, where that legendary rough Thames Estuary R’n’B sound comes to the fore and bassist Jules’ fluid runs bring to mind Norman Watt-Roy. They are called back for a well deserved encore and power through the new single “Writeabout” which was very generously part funded by tonight’s Radio Podrophenia DJ team of Dave Collins and Ian Pile, long-time staunch supporters of the band and evidently men of great taste! 

TV Smith by Paul Hughes

And then it’s time for TV Smith to take the stage to a warm reception from his loyal Southend fans. Armed only with his acoustic guitar he has emerged as a kind of Punk Rock folk troubadour in the grand tradition. He is a globe-trotting story-teller with topical protest songs full of a barbed yet humorous satire on modern life. It’s a life fraught with the issues of Globalisation, Surveillance, Corruption, Capitalism and well…the perils of Xmas…! For TV Smith’s sometime cynical and world-weary tales are not just aimless diatribes against “the Man” but often moving and perfectly drawn personal observations that many people can easily relate to. It’s politics of the individual, he’s not bashing you around the head with a “down with this sort of thing” placard, but he is opening eyes and ears to various issues that mean a lot to him. 

There are various dimensions to his approach too, he can use humour in different guises to make his point, whether it’s the less-than-subtle laugh out loud attack on festive consumerism in “Xmas Bloody Xmas” or on the clever wordplay of “It’s Expensive Being Poor”. On songs like “The Day We Caught the Big Fish” and “Generation Y” subjects such as nuclear submarines accidently sinking fishing vessels and the recent trend for youthful apathy towards politics, are  wrapped up in sublime melancholic songs that force you to think as you sing along. There’s Punky aggression on “Coming Into Land” and of course a rich back catalogue of songs to be plundered such as “We Who Wait”, “New Church” and “No Time To Be 21”. Promising new songs from the next album are also aired, and these include tonight’s set opener “The First One To Sign Up", "Replay" and a song that turns out to be one of my highlights of the set and a sure-fire future classic called “I Delete”. 

TV Smith at The Railway by Paul Hughes

We get the hilarious “Complaints Department”, the moving “The Lion and The Lamb” and a superb version of one of my favourite songs “You Saved My Life Then Ruined It” and it just goes to show the depth of TV Smith's song-writing. At one point he snaps a string on his guitar and then launches into an off-the-cuff performance of Cheap's “My String Will Snap" which goes down really well. For the encore we are treated to three classic Adverts songs “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes”, “Bored Teenagers” and a raucous “One Chord Wonders” – where TV invites The Railway’s soundman Duncan up on stage to join him on vocals. Duncan sings in local band Swindle and although he looks a bit bashful for, oh all of 10 seconds, he soon throws himself into the task with a huge grin while the now traditional Railway stage invasion takes place around him. It’s all over and time for TV to relax and chat to fans by his merchandise stall, a time that he always seems to relish. Then we retire back down to the bar to enjoy DJ’s Piley and Mondo’s excellent music and soak up the atmosphere of another great night at The Railway. I’d like to thank Tim, Eight Rounds Rapid, Fi, Dave, Heather, Duncan and the staff at The Railway, Steve Pegrum from Southend Punk, Dave and Ian from Podrophenia and to Paul Hughes for the excellent photos. Of course a huge “thank you” to all who came along and for all the encouragement and support. Cheers! 

Soundman Duncan with TV Smith by Paul Hughes

TV Smith has a brand new album “The Acoustic Sessions Volume 1” out now along with volume four of his highly entertaining Tour Diaries  entitled “To Heligoland and Beyond”. Eight Rounds Rapid new single “Writeabout” is available on Podrophenia Records as a limited edition 7” vinyl. Check out Podrophenia for their regular radio shows and Podcasts. Southend Punk is an excellent archive and resource and forthcoming events at The Railway Hotel can be found here. 

TV Smith and Wilko Johnson by Paul Hughes

Podrophenia DJ Mondo entertains the packed Railway bar by Paul Hughes

Eight Rounds Rapid by Paul Hughes

Piley in the pulpit - DJ Ian Pile by Steve Worrall

The customary Railway stage invasion - Photp by Paul Hughes

More of Paul Hughes’ excellent photos can be found at his Flickr site. More videos of Eight Rounds Rapid and TV Smith from the night are up on the Retro Man Blog You Tube channel now. 

Finally, don't forget our Retrosonic Podcast special edition with TV Smith which includes an in-depth interview and exclusive acoustic session featuring four classic songs.

TV Smith: Punk Rock Tour Diaries Volume 4: "To Heligoland and Beyond!"

TV Smith has just released the fourth volume of his Punk Rock Tour Diaries via Arima Publishing. It's another amusing and entertaining travelog in the company of the inspirational and likeable ex-Adverts vocalist. This is a world of Rock 'n' Roll that is as far away from huge tour buses and luxury hotels as you can get. It's a world of sleeping on floors in damp and freezing cold back rooms of venues. Relying on lifts, local buses and ferry boats where ice strewn footpaths can wreak havoc on your luggage and your timetables. There is the poignantly named Old Punks Festival in the Czech Republic and a gig among the sand dunes in the remote island of Heligoland. There are encounters with hi-tech Japanese toilets in Tokyo and dangerous crack alleys in Brazil. There are battles with unmanned budget hotels and their baffling entry codes, and with mosquitoes in Finland. Along the way we meet some characters that keep it all rolling along, Vom from Die Toten Hosen, The Tokyo Adverts and Jay Reatard amongst many others. So, grab a copy of this highly entertaining book, buy it for a loved one for Xmas and follow TV as he travels the world, armed only with his guitar, a bag of clothes, a bundle of CD's and an emergency sandwich. The book is available through the TV Smith official web-site here. Otherwise you will be able to get a copy at our gig for TV Smith at the Railway Hotel in Southend-on-Sea on Saturday December 07th. I am sure TV will be happy to sign a copy too. For more details on the gig please check out this link here.

You can hear TV Smith talking to us about his on-the-road experiences, along with an in-depth look back over his musical career, in our very special Retrosonic Podcast. This episode is soundtracked with many pivotal songs from The Adverts, Cheap, The Explorers and of course his extensive solo back catalogue. It also includes an exclusive acoustic session live from the Retrosonic HQ!

TV Smith returns to The Railway, Southend-on-Sea December 07th with Eight Rounds Rapid & DJ's Mondo & Piley

TV Smith, the legendary voice of The Adverts, returns to one of his favourite U.K. venues, The Railway Hotel in Southend-on-Sea on Saturday December 07th. This will be our third joint promotion at The Railway with Retro Man Blog, Podrophenia and the Southend Punk Web-site, and is promising to be another great night as we are very pleased to announce that support comes from the excellent Eight Rounds Rapid. After the live music, Podrophenia DJ's Mondo & Piley will be playing their usual eclectic mix of Psych, Punk, Soul and unexpectedly funky TV themes. The Railway Hotel is located at Clifftown Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS1 1AJ. For more info call 01702 343 194.

Photo by Paul Hughes

You can check out a review of our first gig with TV Smith at The Railway back in June 2012 on the Blog here, and the second one in November last year here. Both reviews feature excellent photographs from Paul Slattery, Paul Hughes, Sophie Lo and Eric Waring.

Don't forget our very special Retrosonic Podcast with TV Smith which features an exclusive four song acoustic session live in the Retrosonic Studio.

"TV Smith, the legendary voice of The Adverts and hugely respected solo performer, joins us (Steve from Retro Man Blog, Rock photographer Paul Slattery and Adam from The Jetsonics) in the Pod to discuss his influential career and play an exclusive four song acoustic session. From early gigs on the edge of Dartmoor with his first band Sleaze to playing the Roxy with The Adverts at the very beginning of the Punk Rock explosion. From appearing on Top of The Pops, the end of The Adverts and his following bands Cheap and The Explorers, to his reinvention as an acoustic Punk Rock troubadour, TV brings us right up to date to the release of his latest album “Coming Into Land” and the publication of his excellent “Punk Rock Tour Diaries”, which cover his adventures as a travelling solo performer armed only with a guitar, a suitcase and an emergency sandwich".

Thanks to Fi and Dave at The Railway, Dave and Ian, Steve Pegrum and Paul Hughes.

TV Smith + Louise Distras at The 12 Bar Club June 07th

TV Smith and Louise Distras at the 12 Bar Club - Photo by Steve Worrall

It's the 12 Bar again and the 12th anniversary of Barnet Mark's London Callin' club night. TV Smith is standing behind his merchandise table, a table that's almost groaning under the weight of over thirty years experience in music. From a rare recording of his pre-Punk band Sleaze, to albums by The Adverts, TV Smith's Explorers, Cheap and of course his many and varied solo records, an impressive back catalogue lay in front of him. Behind him were hanging T-Shirts for sale, some showing extensive dates from his relentless touring schedule. 

TV Smith at The 12 Bar Club - Photo by Zig Criscuolo

Then there are the three volumes of his autobiography, or "Punk Rock Tour Diaries" as they are titled, which are a must-read for any self-respecting music fan, as they document warts and all, the truth about trying to get along as a self-sufficient Musician. There is no place for Rock Star excess in these books, no Limos or Lear jets - just the bus or the tube to the airport or train station. Travelling, not with record company finance but with a support network of independent promoters, bands or friends and often with only a bag of clothes, a box of CDs, a guitar and an emergency sandwich for company. All for the chance to perform to an audience, whether it is in an arena supporting Die Toten Hosen or a decent venue to a derelict squat or a tent in the middle of a forest, it's all worth it just to get on stage and play. 

Louise Distras by Paul Osborn

Next to TV Smith is another merchandise table, not quite as laden with goods, but impressive nevertheless with an array of T-Shirts, Badges and CD's. Behind this table stands Louise Distras, the Wakefield based singer songwriter. Louise is probably not quite ready to write her autobiography yet, but these are early days, she's due to release her Pat Collier produced debut album "Tales From The Factory Floor" very soon and people are starting to take notice of her raw and uncompromising protest songs. Seeing both Louise and TV Smith standing there chatting to fans, I'm struck by the similarities in their approach and I wonder if Louise has read any of TV's books. They are both steeped in that D.I.Y. spirit of trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, music is their life and their livelihood and those merchandise tables are an important part of their set up, and not just for helping to bring in important revenue but as a way of building a strong relationship between themselves and their fan-base.  It's obvious they take great pride in the quality and design of the goods on display, not to mention the reasonable pricing for fans.

TV Smith by Zig Criscuolo

Their accessibility and friendliness to all who wish to chat is apparent, both are song-writers with strong ideals and values and this is a great chance to communicate. I talked to Louise after her excellent set where she stunned the crowd with her raw, powerful voice and the quality of her songs. I noticed she was wearing a "Strummerville" badge, which I felt was quite apt. I think there is a lot in common with what Joe Strummer believed in and where Louise is coming from. She sings about the effects of social injustice in modern Britain, the aftermath of bullying and hate crimes, in fact her single "Standing Strong Together" was a fundraiser for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, the charity set up in memory of the Lancashire student murdered by two teenagers for no more reason that she was a Goth and looked different. Louise is sticking up for the underdog, promoting individualism, another single "The Hand You Hold" was released to help promote International Women's Day, and I can see why Joe Strummer might be such an influence. Louise Distras is cool and charming with a friendly down-to-earth character, "I felt shy and a bit nervous tonight", she told me, "I'm not used to playing to so many smiling faces..!" At first I found this comment a bit strange and I worried about what sort of audiences she has been performing to! But then I could kind of understand where she is coming from. Again, like TV Smith, she has important things to say, and I suppose it's probably just as rewarding to play to a hostile or inquisitive crowd and at the end have at least a few people going away saying "you know, I never never thought of it like that..." than it is to have a room full of people cheering and clapping without even considering the subject matter of the songs themselves. But it's also about that balance between entertainment and getting a message across, and Louise and TV both have a humour and self-effacing quality that means you don't get the feeling you are just being preached at. But most importantly they have the songs, both are playing it as stripped back and as honest as you can get, just vocals and guitar, nothing to hide behind, so the songs have to work and they certainly do. Of course TV Smith has a great back catalogue of classic songs in his armoury, and despite having to miss half his set to catch my last train home, I manage to hear a superb, passionate performance including "The Lion and The Lamb", "No Time To Be 21", "Complaints Department", "Coming Into Land" and "It's Expensive Being Poor". TV also plays two brand new numbers, "Replay" and "Long Gone", which were both excellent and promise good things for his next album which will be released sometime in 2014. 

Louise Distras - Photo by Steve Worrall

Oh yes, I mentioned his humour. TV notices me checking my watch as I consider if I have just enough time to hear one more last song before shooting off in the dash for my last train. "I usually save this song for the encores", TV says, "but I can see Steve has to rush off..." and he slams into "Runaway Train Driver", thanks Tim, very funny! So feeling honoured to have a song dedication but slightly embarrassed about the circumstances, I make my excuses and leave, very quickly!

Don't forget our TV Smith Retrosonic Podcast special Edition which features TV talking us through his career and picking out some important songs along the way. We were also treated to an exclusive acoustic session so we hope you enjoy it! 

Here's a video of TV Smith performing The Adverts classic "No Time To Be 21" on the night. For a bonus video of Louise Distras playing "The Hand You Hold" please check out the Retro Man Blog YouTube Channel here.

With many thanks to Zig Criscuolo from The WitchDoktors and Paul Osborn from The SuperMinx '70 for allowing me to use their photos. Both are not only great photographers but also in excellent bands, so please check them out. Thanks also to Barnet Mark, TV Smith and Louise Distras. You can check out more photos at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page, please head on over and "Like" for access to the Photo Album.