John Robb – The Membranes

John Robb is a British punk singer and music writer. In 1977, Robb co-founded the punk band The Membranes in Blackpool with Mark Tilton. The band released six studio albums before their split in 1990. However, in 2009 they reunited at the request of My Bloody Valentine to plat at All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. Since their reunion, The Membranes have played a number of festivals and supported bands including The Stranglers and Killing Joke on tour. In 2015, they released the album Dark Matter/Dark Energy followed by What Nature Gives…Nature Takes Away in 2019.

Robb has written for many publications and currently contributes a column to Viva!Life – a magazine published by animal rights organisation Viva!. He has appeared at vegan festivals throughout the UK and opened the 2019 Manchester Vegan Festival. In 2020, Robb co-authored Manifesto with Dale Vince, a book about the entrepreneur’s mission to save the environment.

Why John Robb is vegan

John Robb is vegan for the animals.

Robb has been vegetarian since the early eighties – even though he told the Viva! Vegan Podcast vegetarianism wasn’t really on the agenda growing up in Blackpool, even though he lived down the road from a vegetarian cafe. John Robb became vegan in the early 2000s. Like many rebellious musicians, the punk scene influenced Robb’s decision to go vegetarian.¹The Animal Reader. 2021. TAR Talkshow: Musician, author and longtime vegan John Robb. Video available: https://www.theanimalreader.com/2021/01/20/live-musician-author-and-longtime-vegan-john-robb/ [Accessed 19 March 2021].

“I’ve been vegetarian since Crass, and I became vegan a decade ago. Living next door to an abattoir and looking into cows’ eyes – combined with punk rock records – made a big impact.”²Drmartens.com. 2017. JOHN ROBB: #WORNDIFFERENT. Available: https://blog.drmartens.com/john-robb-worndifferent/ [Accessed 19 March 2021].

John Robb: Punk, veganism & the universe – The Viva! Vegan Podcast