Fred Smith & Tom Verlaine, of New York based Television, live at the Manchester Academy November 17th 2013

Television is an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973 and credited as highly influential and seminal. Television was part of the 1970s New York rock scene, along with musical acts like the Patti Smith Group, The Ramones, Blondie, Richard Hell, and Talking Heads. Although they recorded in a raw manner similar to their contemporaries, minimalizing the use of studio techniques, sound effects and atypical instruments, Television's music was unique and technically proficient, defined by guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. The group's debut album, Marquee Moon, is often considered one of the defining releases of the punk era.