ILLUSTRIOUS careers have many highs and lows but playing in intermit chapels to small gatherings must be quite something, which legendary singer-songwriter TV Smith seemed to relish. With just himself and an acoustic guitar made by his brother, he played two lengthy sets, albeit with a short intermission, which not only takes courage but stamina. And the man had no prompters either so his memory is first class. 

Opening with No Time To Be 21, the show itself featured compositions from his days with The Adverts, New Church being another one of several, to his vast solo collection.Tomahawk Cruise was good, especially as Tim addedstage foot-stomping to enhance the sound, and followed it with the slower Lost Words Of The Great Explorer. His new long-player, Handwriting, had a good airing too. I enjoyed Common Enemy, which again was well-received, as most tunes were to be fair.

With part two featuring Man Down, Expensive Being Poor and One Minute To Midnight, strong applause continuedand of course The Adverts hit, Gary Gilmore’s Eyes, hit the mark.

Playing two hour solo shows of high calibre takes confidence and craftsmanship, which after all this time in the business, Devon-based TV Smith has in bucket loads. Whilst he references several times about the state of the world and has written strong songs about the subject, you could hear pins drop throughout the performance as the Sheffield crowd all listened intensely, gave good applause and all left the lovely chapel venue  with smiles on their faces.

Whilst bodies inside were limited, outside the graveyard boasts spiritual homes to 87,000, so for my money TV Smith gave the huge masses a show to remember. Here’s to the next viewing.

WORDS & PICTURES: ROY GOODALL