Formed in Ormskirk, in June 1979 by Norman Rodger, Ally Palmer, Neil Baldwin (ex-The Nice Men) and Rob Tasker (ex-The Nice Men), the band played its debut only two days later at Edge Hill College on June 9th, 1979. The band then moved to Edinburgh where Colin MacLean (from Dundee) joined the band. In April 1980 TV21 founded their own Powbeat label. The name TV21 came from a a sixties comic of the same name.