Land of the Overdose TV Smith

• 1No Control03:28
• 2We Stand Alone03:05
• 3Land of the Overdose04:00
• 4Satellites03:05
• 5Keys to the World03:18
• 6Green Zone03:39
• 7No Hope Street03:06
• 8Never Again Until the Next Time03:26
• 9Sunny Side Up03:03
• 10File It Under Not My Problem03:16
• 11Written Out03:15
• 12Last Lost Sheep02:08
• Total Runtime38:49

Info for Land of the Overdose

2018 release from the British singer/songwriter and former leader of punk legends The Adverts. TV Smith was one of the first stars of the London punk scene. Today he is considered one of the most important political songwriters in the U.K. In the last year alone he played more than 130 concerts. In these days of Brexit, Boris and Trump, people need his voice more than ever.

Try and place TV Smith in the musical landscape of 2018 and you’ll probably end up somewhere between Frank Turner and Billy Bragg. Tim Smith, as his friends know him, started his career as a singer in the Adverts, one of the early stars of the London punk scene in 1977, and since then has established himself as the irrepressible voice of the underdog. At 62 years old he has become one of the most important songwriters Britain has produced. His mission, as he sees it, is to comment on his broken country, to hold political and corporate power to account, and to criticize inequality and social division.

TV Smith writes and sings about a superficial world where we are “virtually” more connected than ever, but at the same time feel more and more isolated. In an age where discussion and debate are discouraged, he continues to ask the pertinent questions. Rather than sounding negative, his songs put forward an optimistic and positive viewpoint. His attitude is: it’s time to stop complaining and start doing something about it.

TV Smith has that rare ability to write protest songs that on first listen don’t come across as protest songs. He describes the big issues in terms of small details. He can play the snotty-nosed punk equally as well as the traditional balladeer storyteller. What stands out is his authenticity, which has a lot to do with the fact that he has been on the road for so long, seen so much, and tackles his subject matter so unflinchingly. In these times of political chaos, voices like his are more important than ever.

The clubs are dying out, the cost of housing has hit the roof, the politicians are at each other’s throats. We should be glad that there are still a few artists who are prepared to make a stand and speak out. TV Smith has been commenting on the lack of integrity in the British political system long before it hit the headlines. In some periods political comment falls on deaf ears, but in these “days of distress” - as Smith terms it - songs about the real world are back on the agenda.

TV Smith’s new studio album “Land Of The Overdose” will be released by JKP, the label of German superstars Die Toten Hosen. Seventeen years ago the band recorded and released an entire studio album with him - “Useless: The Very Best Of TV Smith” - something they have never done with any other artist. His new work is awaited with particular anticipation this time around. Thanks to Brexit, Trump & co., the recent political landscape has changed beyond all recognition - rich pickings for Smith’s brand of songwriting.

Camping (Die Toten Hosen): “We’ve known since 1977 that TV Smith is one of the best songwriters in the music scene. His songs are more important than ever in the current political situation. We respect him for sticking to his guns and fighting incessantly for equality and social justice. As soon as we heard his new songs we knew that “Land Of The Overdose” had to come out on our label.”

TV Smith spends his life traveling to gigs, and plays a huge amount of concerts - more than 130 in 2017 alone, and in 34 countries so far at the last count. He says that in the past couple of years he often gets the feeling that the world has gone mad: “Wherever I go I meet people who think completely differently to their political leaders, but whose feelings and aspirations are being ignored,” he says. Back in England between tours he started to write and record a batch of new songs based on his experiences and observations. “Land Of The Overdose” is his seventeenth album of new material, and in true D.I.Y. style the first that he has played and recorded completely on his own. His punk roots are evident in every groove. The album was produced by fellow countryman Jon Caffery, renowned for his work with Sex Pistols, Einstürzende Neubauten and Die Toten Hosen among many others.

The opening track has barely begun before TV Smith starts to ask the big questions: “Do you remember when you had a voice? Do you remember when you had a vote?” In another new song, “We Stand Alone,” he makes an illuminating diagnosis: “The pubs get closed/The future’s unknown/Our only hope for salvation/And escape from isolation/Is to fight our way outside our comfort zone.” And in an age where we are defined by Facebook algorithms, Smith succinctly sums up the situation in “Green Zone”: “Spy on what I buy/How I vote, what I wear/Put me in your algorithm/I don’t care/I know you’re watching me/I’m watching you too/And what did you do?”

Before TV Smith started performing as a solo artist he had already lived through more than most musicians could ever hope to experience. His band The Adverts was one of the driving forces of the London punk rock scene. His song “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” was one of the biggest punk rock hits of the era. In Germany, his connection with Die Toten Hosen has brought him a large fanbase, thanks to their album together and his tireless touring. Occasionally when he plays in Germany his old friend Vom Ritchie - the english drummer of the Hosen - sits in on drums and the duo adopt the name TVOM.

Forty years after founding his career in the heady days of the Sex Pistols and The Damned, TV Smith’s story is far from over. He is still one of the most observant and artistic chroniclers of the changes in society and their impact on ordinary people’s lives. And one thing is clear: as long as there is inequality and a lack of true values in the world in general - and his country in particular - TV Smith will continue to sing about the “Land Of The Overdose.”

TV Smith, vocals, guitar

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