Something Else: Television Overdose /TVOD

TVOD / Painkiller / MIYO at Voodoo's

Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom, Norwich 

26th August 2026

Sadly, there was a lot space down in the dive bar on Wednesday.  Voodoo Daddy’s had to resort to putting an A-frame out on the street to promote the gig and other methods to draw people in. The last week of August, with a Bank Holiday in the offing, may have just been a gig too far. Maybe the prospect of Kneecap at The Waterfront on Thursday was a factor, with the city’s music followers saving themselves for 45 minutes of the balaclava’d boys from the Emerald Isle. 

All Wright on the night

As Tyler Wright acknowledged, while his band, Television Overdose TVOD is walking a financial tightrope during their European tour, the Norwich audiences may well be too.  Whatever the reasons for the thin turnout, it can only be surmised that the missing had non-musical reasons for omitting TVOD and Painkiller from their diaries.

I get to see a lot of music performances, more than I did when a putative punk at least, and I think the biggest difference between the original breaking New Wave and what is going down now is the quality of the sound at gigs.  What the team at Voodoo Daddy's  can get out of the amps and speakers is phenomenal, something you will experience at nearly every venue in Norwich. I still have my doubts about the UEA Student Union, but that might just be down to all the people who go there for a chat about when they were young and how the band they have come to see again used to be fab. The audio technology can only cover so much chat, particularly when an audience contains several people who shout at each other to hear themselves speak over the musicians.

MIYO - A Norwich band telling it how it is.

MIYO were first up, with Evan, (bass guitar),  Tegan, (acoustic guitar) and Jack (drums) and sadly they had to contend initially with a couple on a date. Once the couple STFU the thoughtful and provocative lyrics of the band became apparent.  MIYO sing songs from the heart, about the heart and what they have experienced as 21st Century girls. “I don’t miss you, but I miss our dog.” Being simple and psychologically complex in the same breath.  The last number, also  explored the challenges of dealing with the early experiences of being in relationships, again raising questions about where some blokes get their ideas about dating and relationships from.

MIYO is an acronym, standing for Make It Your Own, which is an essentially the message and spirit of punk. I wish MIYO all the best as they integrate Jack into their set up. The bass, rocky acoustic guitar and drums came together well in what was an early gig for this combo. The songs are good and these women clearly are working their current format to the maximum.  Well worth a listen if you get a chance. 

Painkiller: Great rock trio in rubbish photo. 

“We’re Painkiller from Cardiff.” announced Tom Rees. He’s been to Voodoo’s before with his previous venture Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and was well received at the time. The lad obviously likes Three as a number, performing this time round in a trio.  Another Rees, Eddie is on bass and the drummer is Ellie Strong, who makes playing rock drums look an absolutely effortless breeze.   To be honest, Painkiller  undoubtedly fit into the show category, “I wouldn’t want to have to go on after that set!” Rees and his two compadres play what they describe as ‘loud music’ and it is of them finest variety.

Painkiller songs are very clever too. How they break up rhythms and play around with song structure is captivating.  How Tom Rees dominates the stage and delivers his songs while rocking the joint on guitar, is excellent rock stagecraft.  I am not a “rawk” fan, but this band got pretty close to being a hard rock trio, without ever losing my interest.  Tremendous, they were. Painkiller played for just about half an hour, but it flew by, leaving me wondering whether the hype surrounding TVOD could be justified, because to headline after Painkiller is a brave, brave, brave move.   

I need not have concerned my poor little head. TVOD were sensational.  Tyler Wright is a no-nonsense front man.  Welcoming the by now, slightly less sparse audience forward, Wright gave his all to the show and the band did too.  Keyboards, bass, a couple of guitars and drums lay down the driving rock rhythms, as Wright makes like the quirky offspring of David Byrne and Iggy Pop, if that were possible. Lyrically, Wright is out of the cool, seeing the world sideways Byrne view-finder, combining it with being a front man with Iggy's manic intensity, a man being consumed by his music.  While Wright holds your attention, you will miss the equally nutty band surrounding him.  While he is confronting the crowd with his fiercely addressed mic, the TVOD are having a blast around the stage. It is party time indeed. 

 

It is not good enough for me to say that a band today reminds me of someone from fifty years ago. Today’s bands have had access to every cell of film footage of the first generation of rock music entertainers, they can listen to everything from the Library of Congress, National Recording Registry, so who cares if they have drawn on some of history’s ground breaking tunes, songs, or acts? The key is to make it their own, which Wright and his crew certainly do and did.  

The CD I bought after the show, NOW That’s What I Call TVOD is superb too. It captures the energy and feel of the band perfectly. I kicked myself for not buying a vinyl of their last release, Party Time, to go with the CD. They played the track Party Time for their encore, merrily bringing the audience into the chorus, as Wright mixed it with the punters on the floor.  Were the place full,  this closing number would have led to some serious moshing.  For those of us who had ventured out were thrilled that we had seen TVOD. This band put on a great show and you won’t be disappointed by their recorded music either.  Here are the rest of their shows here in Europe this summer.

TVOD: If I could I would see them again.

All-in-all this was a quality night out, promoted by Ben Street and engineered by Euan, I urge you to pay attention to what is happening at Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom, the reputation of the venue is forged on great acts, even if they are little known at this time. Get ahead of the curve and spend more time at Voodoo’s.

Get yourself ready for a glut of great music during the forthcoming 2026 Wildpaths Series, based exclusively at Voodoo Daddy's Showroom, 68 London Street, Norwich NR2 1JT 
.

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Spencer Ide

spidewriter@gmail.com

26th August 2026