| John Robb | |
|---|---|
| Born | Fleetwood, Lancashire, UK |
| Genres | Spoken word punk rock |
| Occupations | Singer Songwriter TV pundit Radio DJ Author |
| Instruments | Vocals, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1977 to present |
| Associated acts | Membranes Goldblade |
| Website | Official site |
John Robb (born 4 May 1961[1] in Fleetwood, England) is vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade. Based in Manchester, he has also written several books on music and frequently appears as a journalist/commentator on documentary/light entertainment music shows.
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Robb was born in Fleetwood and grew up in Anchorsholme a middle-class suburb of Blackpool since 1974.[2] 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 he was inspired to start his own band.[2]
Robb was inspired by the DIY ethic of punk to form Membranes in 1977, the band releasing several albums in the 1980s.[2][3] The band split up in 1990 with Robb forming Sensurround, releasing two singles in the early 1990s.[3] In 1994 he formed Goldblade,[2] who have released several albums including 2005's Rebel Songs and 2008's 'Mutiny' and single "City Of Christmas Ghosts" featuring Poly Styrene on shared vocals. Goldblade have toured the world a number of times, headlining punk festivals in Russia and America.
Robb produced several bands, including in the mid-90s two singles by the Leicester three-piece Slinky as well as Therapy? and Cornershop who he also co-managed.[4]
Robb has appeared as a pundit on many television programmes including Channel 4's "top 100" shows, BBC's I Love the 60s/70s/80s/90s series and Seven Ages of Rock, as well as offering expert pop culture opinion on several TV debate shows and both BBC and Channel 4 news.[2] He has contributed to BBC 2's The Culture Show as well as several appearances on TV documentaries, and he is also a regular on BBC radio commenting on pop culture. He has been a regular 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. In 2011 he has appeared on several music documentaries and is about to launch his own chat show and also fronts a new arts show called Zeitgeist.
Robb's books include a biography of The Stone Roses, Stone Roses And The Resurrection Of British Pop; the best-selling 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.
Robb has worked as a journalist for many years. He published his own small town fanzine, Rox, while a member of The Membranes.[1][2] 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.[2] 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.[4] He also writes features for Chimp Magazine in Manchester, UK.
While working for Sounds, Robb was the first journalist to interview Nirvana (in 1989), and also later coined the word 'Britpop'.[2][5]
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 is editorially independent, 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.[6]
In the summer of 2008 Robb was one of the organisers and mediators of the 2008 Tony Wilson Experience - an event in Manchester city centre to celebrate the life of Tony Wilson.
In the summer of 2008 Robb was appointed visiting fellow popular culture at Salford University.[7]
Robb has done several live 'In Conversation' events with cultural figures including Howard Marks, Crass, Kerry McCarthy, Don Letts, Geoff Travis, Alan McGee, Billy Bragg and others.
From 2008-2010 Robb participated in the Un-Convention music conference.[8]
Robb has actively campaigned to resolve visa problems for British musicians travelling to the USA.