THE HARD-ONS will back first wave '77 London punk TV SMITH of THE ADVERTS on his first Australian tour!
Tour supports include Alien Nosejob and Cammy Cautious & The Wrestlers
It's official. It's a bloody HARD OFF!
TV SMITH has confirmed that his AAA Australian ADVERTS band for his upcoming shows is the HARD ONS!
NOT the support but the actual backing band. Yep, Ray, Blackie and Murray and TV SMITH will be powering thru 21st century renditions of the ADVERTS' catalogue inc CROSSING THE RED SEA and more ! Classics from the dawn of UK 1977 punk ...
And this is what Hard-Ons Ray and Blackie have to say about it!
"As a young little fart being blown away by the shock horror of punk rock it seemed like every record I brought / heard was better than the last! Of course years later you shift back and forth and some lose a little power.. BUT a few stay with you .. you know every nano second of an album.. not just a track but an entire album!! That’s what Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts is to me!! This tour coming up with TV Smith is a constant “pinch myself” moment.
Excited!!!" - Blackie
"TV SMITH's songs always made a great impression for me. Passionate and intelligent social and political critique and observations that made me dance and think at once. The Adverts were the perfect band from 1977. That their songs do not sound dated at all is a testimony to their unique greatness. Words can't express how honoured I am to be able to be TV SMITH's bass player for one crazy Australian tour." - Ray Ahn
First wave '77 London punk TV SMITH of THE ADVERTS to tour Australia for the first time with TV SMITH'S ADVERTS
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 the Adverts 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 ten best punk albums ever released.
The Adverts released one more album, Cast Of Thousands, before they split in 1979. Slammed by the critics at the time, the album was later re-released to universal acclaim, and described by Mojo magazine as “the long lost punk album that rivals The Clash’s ‘London Calling’.”
More recently, an original early '77 Adverts rehearsal tape which served as their first demo, taken from a cassette bought on eBay by superfan Henry Rollins, and an unreleased early Adverts single, have both been released on cool LA label In The Red Records, who recently also released The Saints' '(I'm) Stranded' boxset.
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 gigs with 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 (with the Damned), and now in 2026, he has some dates in Australia!
TV SMITH'S ADVERTS (Featuring Ray, Blackie & Murray from the Hard-ons) LIVE IN AUSTRALIA APRIL 2026
EASTER THU 2ND APRIL Young St Tavern Frankston (w/ Alien Nosejob)
GOOD FRIDAY 3RD APRIL The Tote Collingwood (w/ Alien Nosejob)
EASTER SAT 4TH APRIL Barwon Club Geelong (w/ Handgrenade Hearts)
EASTER SUN 5TH APRIL Last Chance Rock'n'Roll Bar, Melbourne (w/ Handgrenade Hearts) (matinee) - tix
WED 8TH APRIL Hamilton Station Newcastle (w/ The Dark Clouds, Laura Panic)
THU 9TH APRIL Link and Pin, Woy Woy (w/ The Dark Clouds)
FRI 10TH APRIL Lansdowne, Sydney (w/ The Dark Clouds, Cammy Cautious and the Wrestlers)
SAT 11TH APRIL La Las Wollongong(w/ Cammy Cautious and the Wrestlers)
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
