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thefirestation.org.uk
About this concert
A tour of songs from the albums POWER IN THE DARKNESS and TRB TWO. The first Tom Robinson Band emerged amid the turmoil of late 70s Britain - in a time of punk rock, political unrest and economic gloom. TRB became known for the hit single 2-4-6-8 Motorway, their vocal support of Rock Against Racism and for the anthem Sing If You're Glad To Be Gay, which made the Top Twenty despite a ban by BBC Radio 1. The original TRB consisted of Robinson on bass and vocals, drummer Dolphin Taylor, keyboardist Mark Ambler and their incendiary guitarist Danny Kustow - who died early in 2019 at the age of 63. They made just two albums - Power In The Darkness and TRB TWO and ended - like the Seventies - just as Margaret Thatcher swept to power. The current Tom Robinson Band will play a 23 date tour in October/November 2024 showcasing those first two albums, in tribute to the original band members. The setlist has been chosen by fans via an online poll, and will include some album tracks from the era that have never previously been performed live. Alongside Robinson on bass, the band features Faithless drummer Andy Treacey, guitarist Adam Phillips from the Richard Ashcroft Band, keyboard virtuoso Jim Simmons and Northern soul singer Lee Forsyth Griffiths on acoustic guitar. "45 years on," says Tom "some of the original TRB lyrics - about division, injustice and uncertainty - still feel depressingly relevant in a world of Trump, Farage & Suella Braverman. I also owe a huge amount to the musicianship of Mark, Dolphin, and Danny back in the day. We're hoping to do that early band - and the songs - full justice this Autumn."
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What fans are saying
Ellie
November 27th 2023
Phenomenal! Very intimate gig with the man himself.
Warm up act Amelia Coburn is amazing!
Sunderland, United Kingdom@The Peacock
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About the venue
The Fire Station is a vibrant, mid-scale performance venue in the heart of Sunderland – housing a brand new the state-of-the-art Auditorium and The Engine Room bar & bist...
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Tom Robinson Biography
Tom Robinson (b. 1st June 1950) is an English musician.
Born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, Robinson was the founding member of the Tom Robinson Band, an overtly political band with several hits in the 1970s, such as "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and "Power in the Darkness". Robinson's other best known song is "Glad to be Gay", and he was an outspoken hero of the gay movement in the 1970s.
In the 1980s he fronted Sector 27, another highly political rock band, which released one album and left Robinson virtually bankrupt. He fled to Hamburg to escape his creditors, where he wrote his 1983 hit "War Baby" and released his first solo album North by Northwest. His return to the U.K. led to late-night performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, some of which later surfaced on the live album Midnight at the Fringe.
In 1985 he found a new career as a D.J. for a variety of radio stations, including BBC Radio 1 (standing in for Janice Long), BBC Radio 4 (The Locker Room from 1992-1995), and the BBC World Service.
He has become an advocate for a wider sexuality than his earlier potrayal as only a homosexual campaigner allowed - marrying a woman and starting a family. Robinson maintains that he suffered abuse from Homosexual Activists as a result.
Robinson rarely performs nowadays, save for two annual parties for his fan-base "The Castaway Club", which take place in South London and Belgium in January every year. In the Belgian Castaway concerts, he introduces many songs in Flemish. The Castaway Parties invariably feature a wide variety of established and unknown artists and groups such as Paleday and T.V. Smith.
Read MoreBorn in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, Robinson was the founding member of the Tom Robinson Band, an overtly political band with several hits in the 1970s, such as "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and "Power in the Darkness". Robinson's other best known song is "Glad to be Gay", and he was an outspoken hero of the gay movement in the 1970s.
In the 1980s he fronted Sector 27, another highly political rock band, which released one album and left Robinson virtually bankrupt. He fled to Hamburg to escape his creditors, where he wrote his 1983 hit "War Baby" and released his first solo album North by Northwest. His return to the U.K. led to late-night performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, some of which later surfaced on the live album Midnight at the Fringe.
In 1985 he found a new career as a D.J. for a variety of radio stations, including BBC Radio 1 (standing in for Janice Long), BBC Radio 4 (The Locker Room from 1992-1995), and the BBC World Service.
He has become an advocate for a wider sexuality than his earlier potrayal as only a homosexual campaigner allowed - marrying a woman and starting a family. Robinson maintains that he suffered abuse from Homosexual Activists as a result.
Robinson rarely performs nowadays, save for two annual parties for his fan-base "The Castaway Club", which take place in South London and Belgium in January every year. In the Belgian Castaway concerts, he introduces many songs in Flemish. The Castaway Parties invariably feature a wide variety of established and unknown artists and groups such as Paleday and T.V. Smith.
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