They were one of the first punk bands to achieve mainstream success in the UK; their 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached No.

The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music described bassist and founding member Gaye Advert as the "first female punk star".

[2] After relocating to London, the two young punks recruited guitarist Howard Pickup (Boak) and drummer Laurie Driver (Muscat), and the Adverts were born.

[3] The Roxy, London's first live punk venue,[4] played a crucial role in the Adverts' early career.

Their second gig supporting Slaughter & the Dogs was recorded, and their anthem "Bored Teenagers" was included on the 1977 UK Top 30 album The Roxy London WC2.

[8] Understanding the band's limitations, the song's lyrics, composed by TV Smith, were likeably self-deprecating: I wonder what we’ll play for you tonight Something heavy or something light Something to set your soul alight I wonder how we’ll answer when you say 'We don’t like you – go away Come back when you’ve learnt to play The Adverts were a prolific live act.

[12] Another reviewer described Smith as the band's "raging heart, spitting out the failsafe succession of songs which still delineate punk’s hopes, aspirations and, ultimately, regrets".

[2] Her "photogenic" looks, "panda-eye make-up and omnipresent leather jacket defined the face of female punkdom until well into the next decade".

A fourth single, "No Time to Be 21", issued on CBS subsidiary Bright Records on 20 January 1978, scraped into the UK Top 40.

[12][15][16][17] Switching to RCA Records, the Adverts released three additional well-regarded singles, "Television's Over" on 10 November 1978, "My Place" on 1 June 1979 and "Cast of Thousands" on 19 October 1979, but were unable to maintain their momentum.