John Robb (musician)

Early life

John David Robb^[3] was born on 4 May 1961^[4] 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., and stated 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

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'.^{[citation needed]} 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. The band played concerts with a 25-piece choir in the UK and Europe in 2016, and lined up a remix album titled Inner Space/Outer Space.^{[citation needed]}. In 2019 The Membranes released the acclaimed What Nature Gives...Nature Takes Away album on Cherry Red Records.

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

Robb has worked as a journalist for many years. Whilst a member of the Membranes he published his own small-town fanzine, Rox, which went on to be nationally distributed.^[4][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]

Whilst 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

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

Robb's books include a biography of

In 2023 he released the book The Art Of Darkness - The History Of Goth, a definitive survey of the form.

Published works

• The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop.
  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.
  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.
  ISBN 978-1-901447-36-1
• The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop: The Reunion Edition.
  ISBN 978-0-091948-58-0
• Manifesto.
  ISBN 1529107091
• The Art of Darkness : The History Of
  ISBN 978-1-914424-86-1
• Do You Believe in the Power of Rock & Roll?: Forty Years of Music Writing from the Frontline. Unbound, 2023.
  ISBN 978-1800182189

External links

• Louder Than War
• John Robb's writing for The Guardian