Tom Robinson
John Arnison reflects on meeting an icon of the 1980s
The year is 1978. I am about to leave school and face an uncertain future. Change is in the air. Margaret Thatcher is nipping at the ankles of socialism. Against the background of a London filled with rubbish and Thatcher promising change, Tom Robinson is singing some great songs.
Tom is the singer, songwriter and bassist with the Tom Robinson Band. Established in 1976, their third single, ‘Up Against the Wall’, became a punk classic and in 1978 they released a debut album, Power in the Darkness, which is still admired. Tom, at the time, seemingly had it made. He is gay, does not care who knows it, rich, confident and self-assured.
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