Tom Robinson and Adam Phillips Victoria Hall Theatre Old Harlow Essex 24th January 2026

 

3rd gig of the year and the great thing was that this one was pretty much on the doorstep. Having raved about a TRB gig last year I looked forward to this one very keenly, Tom acoustic with his TRB sidekick Adam Phillips. Old Harlow doesn't feature prominently in gig listings so the Victoria Hall Theatre was completely new to me, despite my having worked in Harlow for 23 of the last 31 years.

Tom explained that the night's set had been hastily rearranged on account of him removing the top of a finger in the course of preparing vegetables. The required five stitches put paid to the possibility of him playing guitar on this 10 date tour, thus a keyboard was swiftly brought in and the set reconsidered around his temporary digital limitations.

From my perspective this was no bad thing. Never having seen one of his acoustic shows, much of the set would be new to me either way. This was also something of a TRB light show. In the spirit of Tom's 'Introducing' section of his radio show, his TRB rhythm guitarist, Lee Forsyth Griffiths, opened with a handful of his own material. Then, 5 minutes later Tom himself ushered all out of the bar area as he was due to come on.

Opening with '(What If We Live To Be) Fifty' from his 1994 album 'Love Over Rage' it was lyrically reworked by Tom, now 75, to '(What If We Live To Be) Eighty', it was followed by 'Cold Cold Ground', a powerful piece addressing homelessness. Whether electric or acoustic, Tom Robinson's stance on injustice and inequality is consistent and unwavering a quality that for me at least makes him and TRB so important in such intolerant times. That is not to say that his shows are in any way maudlin or sermonising. Tom has an easy, self-depreciating style that frames the songs in the set with both humour and meaning.

Of course the hits were present and correct from '2-4-6-8 Motorway' to 'War Baby'. When it came to the audience participation singalong of 'Glad To Be Gay' Tom let on that sometimes he told reluctant elements in the audience that 'to sing along to 'Glad To Be Gay' you don't actually have to be... glad! 'Up Against The Wall' (with ukulele accompaniment.... I know, but it worked!) and 'Days That Changed The World', a reflective song looking back on the tumultuous days of punk, brought a great evening to an end.

On RAR Carnival in Victoria Park ('Days That Changed The World') :

'When Ziggy* got his big idea

And Slowhand** showed his cards

We rallied to the carnival

And partied in the parks

Fat Martin*** and his bullyboys

From marching were deterred

When black and white united in

The days that changed the world'.

* David Bowie appeared to give a Nazi salute upon his arrival at Victoria Station after his self-imposed Berlin exile (May 1976).

** Eric Clapton delivered an expletive laden racist rant on the stage of the Birmingham Odeon (August 1976) that resulted in the formation of Rock Against Racism.

*** Martin Webster - a National Front leader at the time of the Victoria Park rally.

Tom Robinson... man of the people!