HIGH FREQUENCIES: We who wait

I waited 47 years to see TV Smith perform. He said he'd waited 47 years to play Atlanta. TV Smith's Adverts show at The EARL May 15 was no disappointment. Smith and his new band (none of the other original Adverts were with him) performed an intense, kinetic set of "one chord wonders" from the band's early days as progenitors of the first wave of British Punk, ca. 1976-'77. They played the singles  — "One Chord Wonders," "No Time To Be 21," the haunting "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" — deep cuts from their two LPs — Crossing the Red Sea and Cast of Thousands — and treasured B-sides — including "Bored Teenagers" — bringing with them the original angst, sense of despair, and nihilism that fueled punk in those early years of discontent and propelled it out of the pubs halls and into the psyche of those seeking a "new church," a new belief system to deliver them from the bloated, over-indulgence of late ‘70s culture. Smith did not revel in the past, though his voice was in fine form singing anthems he wrote over four decades ago, as much as he added perspective to what was then and what is now as he addressed the audience between songs. And the band? It might’ve been nice, for nostalgia’s sake, to see the original line-up, but the trio backing Smith, all three probably half his age, played with a ferocity and dedication that added to the force of each song, rather than attempting to recall it. The crowd responded accordingly. Those old enough to buy Adverts records the first time around related to his comments marking the passage of time; those upfront, pressed against the stage formed a mosh pit and sang along, knowing every word to every song. Atlanta was lucky for TV Smith’s Adverts to play a headlining gig before joining The Damned for two weeks as opening support. The room was theirs, the crowd was theirs, the show was incredible. It was a fantastic evening. I only wish I could pogo like I used to. —CL—