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Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist
Tom Robinson Living people Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits " Glad to Be Gay", " 2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with hi ...
. The band's debut single "
2-4-6-8 Motorway "2-4-6-8 Motorway" is a song by Tom Robinson. It was released as a single in 1977 by British punk rock/ new wave group the Tom Robinson Band, and reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. Song information The music and lyrics were written by Tom ...
" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up Against the Wall", is seen by some as a classic punk rock single; while their debut album, ''
Power in the Darkness ''Power in the Darkness'' is the debut studio album by English punk band Tom Robinson Band, released in early 1978. The UK LP had ten tracks. It included inside the album cover a stencil similar to the cover art, but with the album title replace ...
'' (1978), is regarded as a definitive late-1970s punk album. Their song "
Glad to Be Gay "Glad to Be Gay" is a song by British punk rock/ new wave group Tom Robinson Band. It is one of their defining songs, and has been considered Britain's national gay anthem. Song information The song was originally written by Tom Robinson for a Lo ...
" is considered a British national gay anthem.


History

Tom Robinson Living people Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits " Glad to Be Gay", " 2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with hi ...
began gigging in London in 1976. By the end of the year, he had decided to put together a permanent band. Robinson's old friend, guitarist
Danny Kustow Alexander Daniel Kustow (10 May 1955 – 11 March 2019) was an English rock guitarist, known for his dynamic performance style and work with the Tom Robinson Band in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Kustow was born at Queen Charlotte's and Chel ...
, was the first in the permanent line-up. They ran small ads in the music papers looking for a bass player and drummer. Robinson found drummer Brian "Dolphin" Taylor. The search for a bass player continued, until
Mark Ambler Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up Ag ...
auditioned. Some days later, Ambler mentioned he also played keyboards; he had spent many years studying piano with veteran jazz musician
Stan Tracey Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album '' Jazz Suite Insp ...
. After listening to Ambler playing his
Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...
Robinson realised he would have to be the bass player himself. The band hit the club scene right in the middle of London's punk explosion. Their live shows got favourable reviews, and soon A&R men were attending many of their gigs.
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
signed the Tom Robinson Band (TRB). Robinson later described this period, saying "Within nine months we'd made the transition from signing on at Medina Road
dole office Jobcentre Plus (; ) is a brand used by the Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom. From 2002 to 2011, Jobcentre Plus was an executive agency which reported directly to the Minister of State for Employment. It was formed by th ...
to ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'', Radio One,
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
Records and the giddy heights of the front cover of the ''
New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...
''". TRB made leaflets and fliers about their political views and sent them to everyone who attended their gigs. They gave away badges and made up T-shirts emblazoned with the band's logo and they appeared regularly at
Rock Against Racism Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a political and cultural movement which emerged in 1976 in reaction to a rise in racist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom and increasing support for the far-right National Front at the ballot box. Betwe ...
concerts. They were joined at these gigs by the likes of
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
,
Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ro ...
and
X-Ray Spex X-Ray Spex were an English punk rock band formed in 1976 in London. During their first incarnation (1976–1979), X-Ray Spex released five singles and one album. Their 1977 single " Oh Bondage Up Yours!" and 1978 debut album '' Germfree Adol ...
. "
2-4-6-8 Motorway "2-4-6-8 Motorway" is a song by Tom Robinson. It was released as a single in 1977 by British punk rock/ new wave group the Tom Robinson Band, and reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. Song information The music and lyrics were written by Tom ...
" was their first single, released in late 1977, which got into the top five of the UK Singles Charts and stayed there for over a month. It was followed almost immediately by their next record, a four-song EP called ''Rising Free'', which was recorded live at London's Lyceum Theatre in November 1977. It contained the songs "Don't Take No for an Answer", "Martin", "(Sing if You're)
Glad to Be Gay "Glad to Be Gay" is a song by British punk rock/ new wave group Tom Robinson Band. It is one of their defining songs, and has been considered Britain's national gay anthem. Song information The song was originally written by Tom Robinson for a Lo ...
" and "Right on Sister". The EP reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Charts. In early 1978, TRB recorded their debut album, ''
Power in the Darkness ''Power in the Darkness'' is the debut studio album by English punk band Tom Robinson Band, released in early 1978. The UK LP had ten tracks. It included inside the album cover a stencil similar to the cover art, but with the album title replace ...
''. The UK version of the LP contained all new songs, but in the US (on the Harvest label), the "2-4-6-8 Motorway" single and ''Rising Free'' record were combined for a six-track bonus EP that made the album almost a double.


Change in line-up

''Power in the Darkness'' reached number 4 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
and won the band a gold record, and TRB were voted "Best New Band" and "Best London Band" for the year 1977 by listeners at the
Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...
Music Awards. Keyboardist Mark Ambler left the band after recording the first album. Session pianist
Nick Plytas Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up Ag ...
was drafted in as a temporary replacement, and played with TRB at a major
Anti-Nazi League The Anti-Nazi League (ANL) was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right g ...
rally in London's Victoria Park early that year. Keyboardist Ian Parker joined as a permanent replacement for Ambler. TRB then went to
Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Recording studios Rockfield is a two-stu ...
in Wales to record their next album, ''
TRB Two ''TRB Two'' – also known as ''TRB2'' – is the second studio album by Tom Robinson Band. It was recorded days after the original drummer, Dolphin Taylor, left the band. The TRB disbanded four months after its release. Steve Ridgeway designed th ...
''. When they started recording, Chris Thomas, who had produced their first album, was at the control deck. Drummer Dolphin Taylor suggested
Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...
to replace Thomas. After not being able to decide which tracks should appear on the LP, the band eventually agreed to let Rundgren choose. However, when Rundgren picked two of the songs Taylor particularly disliked, Taylor decided that he would rather leave rather than play on the tracks. A day later Taylor had calmed down and offered to return, but Robinson refused, and
Preston Heyman Preston Heyman is a British record producer, drummer and percussionist. He is credited on the Kate Bush album '' Never for Ever''. Not too long afterwards, he was recruited to be the drummer for Atomic Rooster's reformation, and appeared on th ...
was recruited as an emergency stand-in. Heyman's picture was included on the album cover, but there was never any intention for him to join the band permanently. Taylor's eventual replacement was Charlie Morgan who had played for
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...
, and went on to drum for
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
for a further fifteen years. To support the album's release, the band went on tour, but by this point the TRB's infighting had taken its toll. When guitarist Kustow decided to quit in 1979 that was the end of TRB. Their last two gigs were in
Torhout Torhout (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Torhout proper, the villages of Wijnendale and Sint-Henri ...
and
Werchter Werchter is a small village in Belgium which has been part of the municipality of Rotselaar since 1 January 1977. It is the site of Rock Werchter and the birthplace of the painters Cornelius Van Leemputten and Frans Van Leemputten. The origin of ...
, Belgium in 1979. In 1989, Robinson, Kustow and Ambler put together a reunion tour with Steve Creese on drums. They played sold-out shows at the
Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...
in London and went on for the best part of a year before splitting again.


Discography


Albums


Studio


Live


Compilations


Singles and EPs

Notes:
1 Includes post-TRB material.
2 Released as "Tom Robinson & the Voice Squad".


See also

* :Songs written by Mark Ambler *
List of punk bands from the United Kingdom There are a number of punk bands originating in the United Kingdom. See also * List of punk rock bands, 0–K * List of punk rock bands, L–Z * List of post-punk bands * List of new wave ...
*
List of 1970s punk rock musicians This is a list of notable first wave punk rock musicians (1971–1979). 0-9 *4 Skins *45 Grave *999 A * Abrasive Wheels * Adam & the Ants * The Adicts * Adolescents (band) *The Adverts *Agent Orange (band) *Alex Harvey (musician) * The Alley ...
*
List of new wave artists The following is a list of artists and bands associated with the new wave music genre during the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s. The list does not include acts associated with the resurgences and revivals of the genre that have occurred from t ...
* List of Peel sessions *
Music of the United Kingdom (1970s) Popular music of the United Kingdom in the 1970s built upon the new forms of music developed from blues rock towards the end of the 1960s, including folk rock and psychedelic rock movements. Several important and influential subgenres were crea ...
*
List of performers on Top of the Pops __NOTOC__ This list of performers on ''Top of the Pops'' includes popular music recording artists and musical ensembles who have performed on ''Top of the Pops'', a weekly BBC television programme that featured artists from the UK Singles ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Analytical article on TRB and political rockTRB – Tom Robinson Band
{{Authority control English punk rock groups English new wave musical groups Punk rock groups from London Musical groups established in 1976 LGBTQ-themed musical groups Harvest Records artists 1976 establishments in England