Parting the waves
The Adverts never got the acclaim they deserved (despite appearances on TOTP) but their debut album 'Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts' was one of the defining moments in the history of punk; it remains one of the greatest albums of the genre and in the context of it's time it was just about as good as it gets! This being the case we naturally wanted to head down to London to see original member & key songwriter TV Smith performing it in it's entirety at the 100 Club (backed by Spanish punks Los Quattros). Needless to say when we couldn't make it we were gutted but fear not for now we have the chance to pretend we were there with the release of the whole show on DVD.
In the intro to the DVD bassist Jonathon Vidal states that there's something about The Adverts songs that keeps them sounding new and how right he is, from the moment they go into 'One Chord Wonders' it all comes flooding back. Their self parody belies TV Smiths songwriting ability and there's no better proof than on the excellent 'Bored Teenagers'. Clearly he looks older but Smith has lost none of his energy and drive and for most of the gig he's more animated than the packed crowd.
There isn't a filler in sight as they rip through the album in order. Naturally it's the classics that stand out ('No Time ot be 21' & 'Safety In Numbers' for example) but forgotten gems like 'On The Roof' and 'Great British Mistake' are not far behind and sound as good as they did 30 years ago.
It's a shame they couldn't coax Gaye Advert and the rest of the original band out of retirement but Los Quattros do a fine job of capturing the sound of the band. Following the album tracks they race through a clutch of additional Adverts songs including the classic 'Gary Gilmore's Eyes' before finishing off with 'Good Times Are Back' the opening track from Smiths 2006 solo album ('Misinformation Overload').
This really is a welcome reminder of just how good The Adverts were and the enduring quality of Smiths songwriting. If you've never heard the band then this is as good a place as any to start but make sure you then go out & get the original album, a genuine classic if ever there was one. Extras include an extended interview with Vidal and an 18 minute solo set from Smith, the latter being the most entertaining and showing that Smith is just as angry &
passionate now as he ever was.