Jay Reatard/TV Smith - Black Cat - July 5 2009

TV Smith - Devoted (ha ha) readers of my blog will note that the vast numbers of bands covered here often come from the tricky to define psychedelic field and the easy to define classic punk field. And we begin with one of my favorites who I am seeing for the first time, Mr. TV Smith. TV was singer for the Adverts, a second tier UK punk band who wrote first tier songs. The Adverts first lp was once described as a series of A side singles on top of each other. Two albums and several singles and they were finished. TV has carried on sporadically playing acoustic guitars and writing songs in a Billy Bragg vein. He began with the Adverts "No Time to Be 21" and also played "New Church". His solo songs pretty much sounded like Adverts songs with power chorded acoustic riffs and punk style lyrics. Great energy, great songs and a respectful and enthusiastic audience lead by yours truly.

Jay Reatard - Hadn't heard a note of this act but had read many good things. I had mainly come for TV Smith anyway. Surprise! Brilliant set! A power trio of three guys at various stages of King Buzzo's hair growth put on a masterful display of classic punkrock with post punk, psyche, and power pop nods. Blistering pace with no quiet time between songs (ala early Husker Du and Honor Role) had me enjoying each song more than the last. This band deserves all the accolades and I only wished it was in the upstairs stage of the black cat as opposed to the packed, smelly downstairs room. I know, a packed club is more fun for all, but hopefully they will have even more fans for their return and fill the club even further. If anyone listens or sees them, they will be converted.

Adverts/Jay Reatard - Jay Reatard's encore featured TV Smith singing for Adverts songs with Jay Reatard. What an amazing bonus! Worthy of a set unto itself. Gary Gilmore's Eyes, One Chord Wonders, Bored Teenagers, and... ugh, this is what I get for fogetting my notebook, maybe it was We Who Wait? Whatever, it was brilliant and seeing TV Smith thrash around to these songs really made me feel I was at the Roxy in 1977.

Quote of the Night: TV Smith introuction... "This is a song I wrote for Lords of the New Church called Lord's Prayer". This kind of confirms my theory that Stiv Bators and his Dead Boys cronies really weren't writers and faded hard when they ran out of Rocket from the Tombs songs to claim as their own. I really don't know Lords that well and maybe Brian James could write well enough, but Lords was a big disappointment in the end. But this is a long discussion...