As the stale sounds of the 70's were pushed aside by the exciting new punk era, the music of Blondie lodged somewhere in the youthful subconscience of Howard Smith. A guitar borrowed in his mid-teens from a cousin (and never returned) made sure that he was never going to be content with any conventional career path.

Originally inspired by blues bands with a punk attitude, such as Dr Feelgood and Nine Below Zero, Howard has gigged for some 20 years on the blues circuit and has played with and backed some of the greats of the blues world.

As well as being a versatile and dynamic guitarist, Howard is a charismatic singer, and fronts his own original band The Razors, who have recently launched a new album. Whilst he continues to stalk the major stages on the blues scene, he is still influenced by those songs of his teens and plays Blondie as if his life depended on it.