The Adverts were an English punk band who formed in 1976 and broke up in late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to enjoy chart success in the UK.
The band was formed by T.V. Smith (Tim Smith) and Gaye Advert (Gaye Black), both originally from Devon but relocated to to London, the two young punks recruited guitarist Howard Pickup (Boak) and drummer Laurie Driver (Muscat), and the Adverts were born.
Their 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes / Bored Teenagers" reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart.
The Adverts played at the Roxy Club, London no less than nine times between January and April 1977, the first of which they supported Generation X, their third gig was supporting the Damned and they soon signed a recording contract with Stiff Records.
In April 1977, the Adverts recorded the first of four sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1.Days later, on 29 April 1977, their debut single "One Chord Wonders" was released by Stiff.
After the tabloid-fueled controversy surrounding the single, "Gary Gilmore's Eyes", and an appearance on Top of the Pops, the Adverts became big news. Observers focused on front man Smith and bassist Gaye Advert.
The band's follow-up single, "Safety in Numbers / We who Wait", was released on 28 October but did not chart. A fourth single, "No Time to Be 21", issued on CBS subsidiary Bright Records on 20 January 1978, scraped into the UK Top 40.
The band's debut album, Crossing the Red Sea was released by Bright on 17 February 1978. It has since become one of the most highly regarded albums of the punk era.