John Robb

John Robb is vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade. Based in Manchester, he has also written several books on music and frequently appears as a journalist/commentator on documentary/light entertainment music shows. While working for Sounds, Robb was the first journalist to interview Nirvana (in 1989), and also later coined the word 'Britpop'.Robb's books include a biography of The Stone Roses, Stone Roses And The Resurrection Of British Pop (1996), and the best-selling Punk Rock: An Oral History (2006), which has been translated into several different languages.His latest book, released October 2009, is Death To Trad Rock an account of the eighties DIY underground in the UK, including bands such as The Membranes, Three Johns, The Nightingales, and Big Flame, published by Cherry Red Books. Also released in 2009 was The North Will Rise Again - Manchester Music City from 1976 to 1996. The book is an oral history of Manchester music which received 4/5 stars in Q magazine and 5/5 stars in Mojo magazine.Robb has worked as a journalist for many years. He published his own fanzine, Rox, while a member of The Membranes. He wrote for ZigZag in the 1980s, and was a regular freelance contributor to Sounds in the late 1980s, as well as writing for Melody Maker. He now writes for The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Guardian, The Independent, several websites, The Big Issue and magazines in Turkey, Algeria, America, Russia and Brazil.In 2011 John Robb launched his own music and pop culture website, Louder Than War. Louder Than War is a British online rock music and pop culture magazine, focusing on arts news, reviews, and features. Louder Than War is currently expanding into a record label and a festival.