John Robb
Encyclopedia
John Robb is a Codhead 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.
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.
in 1977, the band releasing several albums in the 1980s. The band split up in 1990 with Robb forming Sensurround
, releasing two singles in the early 1990s. In 1994 he formed Goldblade
, 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.
'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. 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.
, Stone Roses And The Resurrection Of British Pop (1996), and the best-selling Punk Rock: An Oral History (2006), which has been translated into several different languages.
His latest book, released October 2009, is Death To Trad Rock an account of the eighties DIY underground in the UK, including bands such as The Membranes, Three Johns, The Nightingales
, and Big Flame, published by Cherry Red
Books.
Also released in 2009 was The North Will Rise Again - Manchester Music City from 1976 to 1996. The book is an oral history of Manchester music which received 4/5 stars in Q magazine and 5/5 stars in Mojo magazine.
, Rox, while a member of The Membranes. 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
. 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
. John Robb currently 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
'.
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 not only Robb but also other freelance journalists and critics. In its first year it has achieved rapid success and in November 2011 John Robb was voted to win the UK Association of Independent Music
'Indie Champion' award.
city centre to celebrate the life of Tony Wilson
.
In the summer of 2008 Robb was appointed visiting fellow popular culture at Salford University.
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.
Robb has actively campaigned to resolve visa
problems for British musicians travelling to the USA...
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Goldblade
Goldblade
Goldblade are an English punk rock band from Manchester, England. The band formed in early 1995 when ex Membranes frontman, John Robb, put the band together with Wayne Simmons and former A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bass, Rob Haynes on drums and Jay Taylor on guitar.The band signed to...
. Based in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, he has also written several books on music and frequently appears as a journalist/commentator on documentary/light entertainment music shows.
Early life
Robb was born in Fleetwood and grew up in suburban Blackpool. He attended Blackpool Sixth Form CollegeBlackpool Sixth Form College
The Blackpool Sixth Form College serves the Fylde and surrounding areas of the county of Lancashire, England. The college has around 1,900 full-time students. The college offers academic and applied programmes to a wide range of students aged between 16 and 19....
an addition to the Collegiate Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
which Robb attended, where after reading about the emerging punk rock scene in the music press he was inspired to start his own band.
Music
Robb was inspired by the DIY ethic of punk to form MembranesThe Membranes
The Membranes were a post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb , Mark Tilton , Martin Critchley and Martin Kelly . Critchley soon left, with Robb and Tilton taking on vocals, and Kelly moving to keyboards, with "Coofy Sid" taking over on drums...
in 1977, the band releasing several albums in the 1980s. The band split up in 1990 with Robb forming Sensurround
Sensurround
Sensurround is the trademark name for a process developed in the 1970s by Cerwin-Vega in conjunction with Universal Studios to enhance the audio experience during film screenings...
, releasing two singles in the early 1990s. In 1994 he formed Goldblade
Goldblade
Goldblade are an English punk rock band from Manchester, England. The band formed in early 1995 when ex Membranes frontman, John Robb, put the band together with Wayne Simmons and former A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bass, Rob Haynes on drums and Jay Taylor on guitar.The band signed to...
, who have released several albums including 2005's Rebel Songs and 2008's 'Mutiny' and single "City Of Christmas Ghosts" featuring Poly Styrene
Poly Styrene
Poly Styrene was the stage name of Marianne Joan Elliott-Said , a British musician, songwriter and singer, most notably in the pioneering punk rock band X-Ray Spex.-Early life:...
on shared vocals. Goldblade have toured the world a number of times, headlining punk festivals in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Robb produced several bands, including in the mid-90s two singles by the Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
three-piece Slinky as well as Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
and Cornershop
Cornershop
Cornershop are a British indie rock band formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh , his brother Avtar Singh , David Chambers and Ben Ayres , the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single in 1991...
who he also co-managed.
Television
Robb has appeared as a pundit on many television programmes including Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's "top 100" shows, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
'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. He has contributed to BBC 2's The Culture Show
The Culture Show
The Culture Show is a weekly BBC Two Arts magazine programme. It is broadcast in the UK on Thursday nights at 7pm, focusing on the best of the week's arts and culture news, covering books, art, film, architecture, music, visual fashion and the performing arts...
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
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
'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.
Books
Robb's books include a biography of The Stone RosesThe Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Stone Roses And The Resurrection Of British Pop (1996), and the best-selling Punk Rock: An Oral History (2006), which has been translated into several different languages.
His latest book, released October 2009, is Death To Trad Rock an account of the eighties DIY underground in the UK, including bands such as The Membranes, Three Johns, The Nightingales
The Nightingales
The Nightingales are a British punk/alternative band formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England. Original members were Robert Lloyd , Joe Crow on guitar, Eamonn Duffy on bass and Paul Apperley on drums, all formerly of The Prefects...
, and Big Flame, published by Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
Books.
Also released in 2009 was The North Will Rise Again - Manchester Music City from 1976 to 1996. The book is an oral history of Manchester music which received 4/5 stars in Q magazine and 5/5 stars in Mojo magazine.
Published works
- The Stone Roses And The Resurrection Of British Pop (Ebury Press) ISBN 978-0091878870
- Noise Bible - Adventures On The Eighties Underground With The Membranes (Thrill City)
- The Soul Manual (Ultimate)
- The Charlatans: We Are Rock (Ebury Press) ISBN 978-0091865689
- The Nineties: What The Fuck Was That All About (Ebury Press) ISBN 978-0091871352
- Punk Rock: An Oral History (Ebury Press) ISBN 978-0091905118
- The North Will Rise Again- Manchester Music City 1976-1996 (Aurum Press) April 2009 ISBN 978-1845135348
- Death To Trad Rock- The Post-Punk Fanzine Scene 1982-1987 (Cherry Red) October 2009 ISBN 978-1901447361
Journalism
Robb has worked as a journalist for many years. He published his own small town fanzineFanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
, Rox, while a member of The Membranes. He wrote for ZigZag
ZigZag (magazine)
ZigZag was a British rock music magazine. It was started by Pete Frame and the first edition rolled off the printing presses on 16 April 1969...
in the 1980s, and was a regular freelance contributor to Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
in the late 1980s, as well as writing for Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
. He now writes for The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, several websites, The Big Issue
The Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
and magazines in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. John Robb currently also writes features for Chimp Magazine in Manchester, UK.
While working for Sounds, Robb was the first journalist to interview Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
(in 1989), and also later coined the word 'Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
'.
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 not only Robb but also other freelance journalists and critics. In its first year it has achieved rapid success and in November 2011 John Robb was voted to win the UK Association of Independent Music
Association of Independent Music
The Association of Independent Music is a non-profit trade body established in 1998 by UK independent record labels to represent the independent record sector, which constitutes approximately 25% of the UK market....
'Indie Champion' award.
Other activities
In the summer of 2008 Robb was one of the organisers and mediators of the 2008 Tony Wilson Experience - an event in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
city centre to celebrate the life of Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
.
In the summer of 2008 Robb was appointed visiting fellow popular culture at Salford University.
Robb has done several live 'In Conversation' events with cultural figures including Howard Marks
Howard Marks
Dennis Howard Marks is a Welsh author and former drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug...
, Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
, Kerry McCarthy
Kerry McCarthy
Kerry Gillian McCarthy is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bristol East since 2005.-Early life:...
, Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
, Geoff Travis
Geoff Travis
Geoff Travis is the founder of both Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade chain of record shops. A former drama teacher and owner of a punk record shop, Travis founded the Rough Trade label in 1978.-Biography:...
, Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
, Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
and others.
From 2008-2010 Robb participated in the Un-Convention music conference.
Robb has actively campaigned to resolve visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
problems for British musicians travelling to the USA...