Which punk band from the UK had the 1977 single 'Gary Gilmore's Eyes'?
Answer
The Adverts
Answer
The Adverts
The Adverts released the 1977 punk single “Gary Gilmore's Eyes.”
Fronted by singer and songwriter T. V. Smith, the Adverts turned a grim news story into one of British punk's most distinctive songs. Its narrator has received an eye transplant and realizes that the donated eyes once belonged to Gary Gilmore, the American murderer executed by firing squad in Utah in January 1977. Gilmore had asked for his eyes to be donated after his death, and his corneas were used for transplants.
Released on Anchor Records, the single reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1977 and took the band to Top of the Pops. Its concise, abrasive sound and unsettling subject matter helped establish the Adverts as an important early punk act.
The song was originally intended for the band's debut album, Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts, but was omitted at the last moment. It was later restored on most reissues. The B-side of the original single was “Bored Teenagers.”
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026