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 Against the Wall", is seen by some as a classic punk rock single; while their debut album, Power in the Darkness (1978), is regarded as a definitive late-1970s punk album. Their song "Glad to Be Gay" is considered a British national gay anthem.

History

Tom Robinson 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, 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 auditioned. Some days later, Ambler mentioned he also played keyboards; he had spent many years studying piano with veteran jazz musician Stan Tracey. After listening to Ambler playing his Hammond organ 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 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 to Top of the Pops, Radio One, EMI Records and the giddy heights of the front cover of the New Musical Express".

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 in London and went on for the best part of a year before splitting again.

Discography

Albums

Studio

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Album details

! colspan="3"| Peak<br />position

|-

! width="30"|

! width="30"|

! width="30"|

|-

| 1978

| align="left"| Power in the Darkness

  • Release date: May 1978
  • Label: EMI Records

| 4

| 52

| 144

|-

| 1979

| align="left"| TRB Two

  • Release date: March 1979
  • Label: EMI Records

| 18

| –

| 163

|-

|}

Live

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Album details

! colspan="1"| Peak<br />position

|-

! width="65"|

|-

| 1982

| align="left"| Cabaret '79

  • First live album (recorded at the Collegiate Theatre June 1979)
  • Release date: November 1982
  • Label: Statik Records

| –

|-

| 1992

| align="left"| The Winter Of 89

  • aka Motorway – Live In Concert
  • Release date: 1992
  • Label: Music De Luxe

| –

|-

| 1997

| align="left"| Glad to Be Gay Cabaret

  • Reissue of Cabaret '79
  • Release date: August 1997
  • Label: EMI Records

| –

|-

|}

Compilations

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Album details

! colspan="1"| Peak<br />position

|-

! width="65"|

|-

| 1981

| align="left"| TRB 3

  • First compilation
  • Release date: 1981
  • Label: EMI Records

| –

|-

| 1987

| align="left"| The Collection 77-87

  • Second compilation<sup>1</sup>
  • Release date: September 1987
  • Label: EMI Records

| –

|-

| 1996

| align="left"| The Gold Collection

  • Third compilation
  • Release date: March 1996
  • Label: EMI Records

| –

|-

| 1997

| align="left"| Rising Free: The Very Best of TRB

  • Fourth compilation<sup>1</sup>
  • Release date: June 1997
  • Label: EMI Records

| –

|-

| 2013

| align="left"| The Anthology 1977–1979

  • Fifth compilation
  • Release date: 2013
  • Label: EMI Records

| –

|-

|-

|}

Singles and EPs

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Song<br />(A side / B side)

! colspan="2"| Peak<br />position

|-

! width="65"|

! width="65"|