John Robb (musician)

John David Robb[1] (born 4 May 1961[2]) is an English music journalist and singer.

John Robb
John Robb compering Justice Tonight : In Aid of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, HMV Ritz Manchester, 2011.
Background information
Birth nameJohn David Robb
Born (1961-05-04) 4 May 1961
Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
GenresSpoken word, punk rock
Occupation(s)Journalist
Author
Singer
songwriter
TV pundit
InstrumentsVocals, bass guitar, guitar
Years active1977 to present
Associated actsMembranes
Goldblade
Websitethemembranes.co.uk

Robb writes for and runs the Louder Than War website and a monthly music magazine of the same name. He has written several books on music and occasionally makes media appearances as a music commentator.[3] He is also the vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade and bassist and vocalist in post punk band The Membranes.

In 2014, Robb started and currently runs a music writing festival Louder Than Words which is held in Manchester, UK every November. In 2019 he launched a vegan festival in Manchester.[4] He is also a TEDx speaker and spoken word artist.

Early life

Robb was born in Fleetwood, Lancashire and grew up in Anchorsholme, Blackpool, Lancashire.[5] He attended Blackpool Sixth Form College an addition to the Collegiate Grammar School which Robb attended, where after reading about the emerging punk rock scene in the music press in 1976 he was inspired to start his own band.[5] He is a supporter of Blackpool F.C. stating in January 2013, "I was born in Blackpool and supporting your local team is one of those things that gets under your skin for life."[6]

Music

Robb was inspired by the DIY ethic of punk to form The Membranes in 1977, the band releasing several albums in the 1980s.[5][7] The band split up in 1990 with Robb forming Sensuround, releasing two singles in the early 1990s.[7] In 1994 he formed Goldblade,[5] who have released albums including 2005's Rebel Songs and 2008's Mutiny and single "City of Christmas Ghosts" featuring Poly Styrene on shared vocals. In 2013 Goldblade released the album The Terror of Modern Life via Overground Records.

The Membranes reformed in 2010 appearing at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival at the request of My Bloody Valentine and released the 7" vinyl single "If You Enter The Arena, You Got To Be Prepared To Deal with the Lions" (Louder Than War Records) – The single was released on Record Store Day 20 April 2012; the track was The Guardian 'Single of the Week'. Tim Burgess from the Charlatans released their next comeback single, "The Universe Explodes Into A Billion Photons Of Pure White Light" and the band released a new album, Dark Matter/Dark Energy in June 2015 on Cherry Red. In 2016, the band played concerts with a 25 piece choir in the UK and Europe and have lined up a remix album called Inner Space/Outer Space.

The group believe that 'every gig must be an event' and have promoted sell out shows where they explain the universe with scientists from the Higgs Boson project and a sold-out gig at the top of Blackpool Tower in August. Robb produced several bands and in the mid-1990s two singles by the Leicester three-piece Slinky and US punk band Done Lying Down, as well as Therapy? and Cornershop who he also co-managed.[8]

Their new album features contributions from Chris Packham and the 20 piece BIMM choir, in a double album about the beauty and violence of nature. The Membranes released their sixth album What Nature Gives...Nature Takes Away in June 2019

Television

Robb has appeared as a pundit on various television programmes including BBC Breakfast, Channel 4's "top 100" shows, BBC's I Love the 60s/70s/80s/90s series and Seven Ages of Rock.[5] He has contributed to BBC 2's The Culture Show as well as several appearances on TV documentaries as well as on Channel 4 news talking about train travel, music piracy and the state of music, and on BBC radio commenting on pop culture. He has been a contributor to Sky's The Pop Years and co-produced and presented a ten-part series on the history of punk rock. He also presented a twelve-part guide to the arts in North West England. He is currently filming a series of interviews for Lush's Gorilla channel with cultural figures including Stewart Lee, Mark Thomas, Shaun Ryder, Viv Albertine, Caroline Lucas, and Youth.

Journalism and books

Robb has worked as a journalist for many years. He published his own small town fanzine, Rox which would go on to be nationally distributed, while a member of The Membranes.[2][5] He wrote for ZigZag in the 1980s, and was a regular freelance contributor to Sounds in the late 1980s, as well as writing for Melody Maker.[5] He now writes for The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Guardian, The Independent, several websites, The Big Issue and magazines in Turkey, Algeria, America, Russia, and Brazil.[8]

While working for Sounds, Robb was the first journalist to interview Nirvana (in 1988), and also later coined the word 'Britpop'.[5][9]

In 2011, Robb launched an online rock music and pop culture magazine/blog called Louder Than War, focusing on arts news, reviews, and features. The site claims editorial independence, and includes contributions from Robb and several other freelance journalists and critics. In its first year, in November 2011, Robb was voted to win the UK Association of Independent Music 'Indie Champion' award.[10] The website was also turned into a nationally distributed magazine in 2016.

Robb currently contributes a column to Viva!Life magazine, published by the Vegan campaigning charity Viva!

Robb's books include a biography of The Stone Roses, Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop; Punk Rock: An Oral History which has been translated into several different languages; Death To Trad Rock, an account of the 1980s UK DIY underground, including The Membranes, Three Johns, The Nightingales, and Big Flame; The North Will Rise Again – Manchester Music City from 1976 to 1996, an oral history of Manchester music which received 4/5 stars in Q magazine and 5/5 stars in Mojo magazine. His new book about Goth and post punk is due for release in 2020. He also has a book called 'Manifesto out in November 2020 about green energy pioneer Dale Vince

Published works
  • The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop. Ebury Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-09-187887-0
  • Noise Bible – Adventures on the Eighties Underground with the Membranes. Thrill City.
  • The Soul Manual. Ultimate.
  • The Charlatans: We Are Rock. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-186568-9
  • The Nineties: What The Fuck Was That All About. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-187135-2
  • Punk Rock: An Oral History. Ebury Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-09-190511-8
  • The North Will Rise Again – Manchester Music City 1976–1996. Aurum Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84513-534-8
  • Death to Trad Rock – The Post-Punk Fanzine Scene 1982–1987. Cherry Red, 2009. ISBN 978-1-901447-36-1
  • The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop: The Reunion Edition. Ebury Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-091948-58-0
  • Manifesto. Ebury Press, 2012. ISBN 1529107091
  • The Art Of Darkness : A complete history of Goth Music and Culture. Omnibus Press, 2020. ISBN 978-1787601031

Personal life

Robb's sister is Caroline Kende-Robb the boss of CARE in August 2018. Before that she was the Executive Director of the Africa Progress Panel, a foundation chaired by Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations. His brother is Alastair Robb, a British diplomat working in the field of health and social change.

References
  1. "Robb John David". BMI Repertoire. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  2. Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0231-3, p. 272-3
  3. "JOHN ROBB (Goldblade, The Membranes) Interview". VeganWalls. 3 November 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  4. "John Robb launches vegan festival in Manchester this Sunday with great food and in conversation with Shaun Ryder". Louderthanwar.com. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. "John Robb on Punk Rock and Roll", BBC, 1 September 2009, retrieved 3 May 2011
  6. Robb, John (10 January 2013). "An open letter to Karl Oyston about the bizarre goings on at Blackpool FC". Louder Than War. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  7. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 414-5
  8. Porter, Katia (2010) "Punk rockers Goldblade at Redhill Football Club", Surrey Mirror, 1 April 2010, retrieved 3 May 2011
  9. Williams, Andrew (2006) "60 SECONDS: John Robb", Metro, retrieved 3 May 2011
  10. "Association of Independent Music". Aim.org.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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