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John David Robb (born 4 May 1961
[Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 272-3]) is an English music journalist and singer.
Robb writes for and runs the ''
Louder Than War
''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
'' 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. He is also the vocalist in the
punk rock band
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 Membranes and A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bas ...
and bassist and vocalist in post punk band
The Membranes
The Membranes are an English post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb (bass guitar), Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums).Larkin, Colin: ''The Guinness Who ...
.
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
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
festival in Manchester. He is also a TEDx speaker and spoken word artist. In 2021 he launched the North Will Rise Again - a big live-cast music event in Liverpool and Manchester which will be moving into other cities as a conference event.
Early life
Robb was born in
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census.
Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...
, Lancashire and grew up in
Anchorsholme
Anchorsholme is an area of Blackpool, in the Borough of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is close to the town of Cleveleys and village of Thornton.
Etymology
The name Anchorsholme is thought to derive from the Old Scandinavian word 'holmr' ...
,
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, Lancashire.
[John Robb on Punk Rock and Roll]
, BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, 1 September 2009, retrieved 3 May 2011 He attended
Blackpool Sixth Form College
The Blackpool Sixth Form College is a co-educational state funded sixth form college serving the Fylde and surrounding areas in Lancashire, England. The college has around 2,000 full-time students. It offers academic and applied programmes to a wi ...
an addition to the Collegiate
Grammar School
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary 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.
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."
Music
Robb was inspired by the
DIY ethic
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...
of punk to form
The Membranes
The Membranes are an English post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb (bass guitar), Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums).Larkin, Colin: ''The Guinness Who ...
in 1977, the band releasing several albums in the 1980s.
[Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 414-5] The band split up in 1990 with Robb forming Sensuround, releasing two singles in the early 1990s.
In 1994 he formed
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 Membranes and A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bas ...
,
who have released albums including 2005's ''Rebel Songs'' and 2008's ''Mutiny'' and single "City of Christmas Ghosts" featuring
Poly Styrene
Marianne Joan Elliott-Said (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011), known by the stage name Poly Styrene, was an English musician, singer-songwriter, and frontwoman for the punk rock band X-Ray Spex.
Early life
Poly Styrene was born Marianne Joan Ell ...
on shared vocals. In 2013 Goldblade released the album ''The Terror of Modern Life'' via Overground Records.
The Membranes
The Membranes are an English post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb (bass guitar), Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums).Larkin, Colin: ''The Guinness Who ...
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
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
20 April 2012; the track was ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' '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
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
three-piece
Slinky
The Slinky is a helical spring toy invented by Richard James in the early 1940s. It can perform a number of tricks, including travelling down a flight of steps end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its ow ...
and US punk band
Done Lying Down
Done Lying Down were a British-American rock group, active during the mid-1990s. Their reputation for intense, energetic live performances won the group major acclaim in the British music press and a number of devoted fans. The group's sound wa ...
, as well as
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
and
Cornershop
Cornershop are a British indie rock band best known for their single "Brimful of Asha", originally released in 1997 and, in a remixed version, topping the UK chart in 1998. The band was formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh (singe ...
who he also co-managed.
Television
Robb has appeared as a pundit on various television programmes including BBC Breakfast,
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's "top 100" shows,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''I Love the 60s/70s/80s/90s'' series and ''