John Robb
He spoke lovingly about Yellow Submarine, Pinky and Perky and the moon landings before his teenage years led to Oxfam for clothes.
John Robb, when not fronting the Membranes, is an insightful and articulate commentator - and not just on the music scene. He has things to say about society, culture and history, his journalism tacitly passing judgement on the wider world, while ostensibly discussing the Jesus and Mary Chain. I was geared up for a fascinating evening. But it’s not you, John, it’s me. I should have read the small print. What we got instead, what Robb - in fairness - had promised, was a teaser for his new book, Punk Rock Ruined My Life, followed by an interview with Lily Hopkins of the Meffs. This was nonetheless a fascinating, and to those of us of a certain age, nostalgic dive into a time that now seems a dream – England Dreaming, as Jon Savage might say.
First off, Robb spoke wistfully of his last visit to the Arts Centre, when Steve Levine joined him on stage (an event covered, incidentally, by Outline, should you wish to poke about the archive and find out more) before plunging into his time growing up in Blackpool. He spoke lovingly about Yellow Submarine, Pinky and Perky and the moon landings before his teenage years led to Oxfam for clothes and then shoving washers in telephone boxes in an attempt to talk himself into gigs. He spoke of his time with The Membranes and Goldblade, how he moved, almost by accident, into journalism, interviewing Nirvana, The Stone Roses and the aforementioned The Jesus and Mary Chain.
It was obvious that we barely touched the surface of his career, so little wonder almost the entire audience wanted a signed copy of his book. Whether he was truly engaged or just a very polite man, he took the trouble to talk properly to every admirer, something that said more about the man than the brisk run-through of his autobiography could ever hope to do.
After the interval, the second half of the evening was set aside for an interview. Unusually it was Robb doing the interviewing. I confess I wasn't familiar with Lily Hopkins or the Meffs, so much of what was said made little impact on me. But she seemed like a thoroughly grounded, personable individual, and perhaps that’s why her tale of ascendance felt so remarkable. From an early age her influences were eclectic, ranging from Cradle of Filth to the ubiquitous Nirvana. She touched on her admiration of Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett, how stagecraft comes easier to an American, and the complexity of driving a guitar through three amps.
Robb is a good interview. He knows when to ask, when to listen, and how to avoid hijacking the interview with anecdotes of his own. The thing is, in this connection I’d have liked him to engage more. There is a lot of history they have in common, in their influences if nothing else. I would like to have witnessed something more like a conversation than an interview, if I’m honest, but I had to admire Robb’s willingness to take a back seat. We had, after all, turned up to see Robb so who could have blamed him if he’d smothered the interview with tales of his own. This was an oddly structured evening, and I’m not sure it entirely worked, but you have to and respect Robb’s willingness to shine the spotlight on someone else.
