An evening of tall tales and top tunes from half a century working on the wilder fringes of
the Music Industry. Expect encounters with Alexis Korner, Ray Davies, Elton John, Peter
Gabriel, Todd Rundgren, Eddy Grant and Brian Eno - alongside classics such as War Baby,
Glad to Be Gay, and 2-4-6-8 Motorway. Plus unexpected back catalogue gems from Café
Society (1975) to Only The Now (2015) in this brand new two man show with virtuoso
guitarist Adam Phillips.
2025 BIOG
Tom Robinson first record release was in 1975 as one-third of Café Society: an acoustic harmony
trio produced by Ray Davies of The Kinks who had discovered them playing at The Troubadour
coffee house in London's Earls Court. After seeing The Sex Pistols at The 100 Club, Tom realised
"the Next Big Thing probably wasn't going to be an acoustic harmony trio" and formed a new
group of his own with guitarist Danny Kustow. The Tom Robinson Band were early supporters of
Rock Against Racism and went on to enjoy Top Five success with 2-4-6-8 Motorway and
mild notoriety a few months later with their LGBT anthem Glad To Be Gay. Their album Power In
The Darkness entered the charts at No.4.
In the subsequent 50 years Tom's been mentored by Alexis Korner and Martin Carthy, written
songs with Elton John and Peter Gabriel, toured with The Police, Red Wedge and The Undertones,
and Rocked Against Racism alongside The Clash, Steel Pulse and X-Ray Spex. He's also been
banned by Radio One, bankrupt and exiled in East Berlin, and hounded by the tabloid press for
being in love with a woman.
More recently he's given 10,000+ artists their first nationwide airplay on his BBC Introducing shows
and served for ten years on the Ivor Novello Awards committee. At age 75 Tom still enjoys a
reputation among his punk contemporaries - as well as the world of acoustic/roots music - as both
as a master songsmith and a funny, ferocious live performer.