TV SMITH beams on to the Bar Lambs, Westcliff, stage on Saturday, headlining an evening of riotous punk acts.

He rose to prominence in the first wave of British punk rock, as singer and songwriter for the Adverts who, after frequent early appearances at the seminal Roxy club, London, in 1977, gained cult success with the Stiff single One Chord Wonders.

This turned to notoriety when their next single, Gary Gilmore's Eyes, thrust them into the upper reaches of the UK charts.

The album which followed in 1978, Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts, charted on its first week of release and is generally considered to be one of the few genuine classics of the era.

The Adverts released one further album, Cast of Thousands, before their split in 1979, but TV went on to tour and record with TV Smith’s Explorers, who achieved a minor hit with the single Tomahawk Cruise.

The Nineties saw TV gigging relentlessly throughout Europe, as well as releasing a further two solo albums, Immortal Rich and Generation Y.

Over the past year, TV has played more than 120 gigs and is currently focusing on a cynical, but humorous, take on the Christmas single tradition, Xmas Bloody Xmas, set for release by Damaged Goods in November.

Three other punk acts share the stage with TV, including Garden Gang, a German band from Bavaria; urban rail punk group Eastfield, from the Midlands, and Southend’s very own anarchists, the Optic Nerves.

Admission is £5 and doors at the Station Road venue open at 8pm. For more information, visit www.barlambs.co.uk