There have been a few occasions when I have wondered when the day may come for Tom Robinson to step down from presenting the BBC Introducing Mixtape Show on BBC Radio 6 Music. He will, after all, be 74 this year. Likewise I have occasionally wondered what might one day happen were he to step down from running Fresh on the Net. Would it signal the demise of a platform that has always been so synonymous with him and his commitment to supporting grassroots music artists? Could we retain our relevance and importance to aspiring artists and fans of new music without Tom at the helm? What I had not considered was that these two things would occur simultaneously. So, when Tom emailed me earlier this month to break the news, it was something of a shock.
Before I get into my reaction and what happens next, let us remind ourselves about why Tom is such a well-loved and revered figure. I was 14 years old when Tom Robinson Band (TRB) exploded into our collective consciousness with the sparkling Punk-Pop of 2 – 4 – 6 – 8 Motorway. At this point, I was yet to be aware either of the gay trucker tale behind the lyrics or of Tom’s sexuality. But that would quickly change with the release of the stunning Rising Free EP which included one of the greatest anthems in pop history – Glad To Be Gay.
Again, some context is important here. It was 1977. Punk may have been challenging the status quo in many ways but few people were talking or thinking about LGBTQ+ rights. When I had been party to debates around this broad issue, the arguments against discrimination frequently took the approach of ‘they can’t help being gay’ and a generally almost apologetic defence of what was then referred to simply as ‘gay rights’ or ‘gay lib[eration]’. But Tom took this argument to a new level by declaring that people should be glad to be gay. His song changed the narrative. He also achieved something that is often dismissed as not possible. He managed, within a song lyric, to make an irrefutable case against homophobia. For example, after sarcastically calling out the tabloids that portrayed ‘pictures of naked young women’ as ‘fun’, he continued ‘There’s no nudes in Gay News, our one magazine/But they still find excuses to call it obscene’. The song was packed with killer lines like this that came from such a logical, rational standpoint, contrasting the hysteria and absurdness of the views being peddled by the homophobes.
To its eternal shame, the BBC banned Glad To Be Gay. No justification was ever offered for this decision. There were no expletives in the lyrics. By contrast, Capital Radio, then a cutting edge independent station that bore no resemblance to what it would later become, embraced the track and it topped their Hitlist for weeks. The whole [live] EP was fantastic though. Right On Sister was a rallying cry in support of women’s rights. Don’t Take No For An Answer showed Tom was serious about left politics across the piece and Martin was an amusing singalong and a celebration of taking on the cops into the bargain. TRB were never truly a Punk band but they were an important presence in the wider Punk and New Wave movement that was bringing so much that was fresh and exciting to music in 1977/8.
When the BBC finally relented and TRB were able to perform Glad To Be Gay on the weekend show Rock Goes To College, it was a defining moment. I still recall Tom’s sarcastic smile as he stared into the camera and delivered this most breathtakingly brilliant lyrical masterpiece to the nation’s music fans. My year at school back then was unusually politicized for a bunch of 14 year olds in a comprehensive in Hemel Hempstead (mainly due to the coincidence that so many of the popular kids who influenced their peers were left leaning) and I remember the buzz on the Monday morning as we discussed seeing TRB’s performance and the lyrics of Glad To Be Gay.
It would, however, be doing Tom a great disservice to only talk about his contribution to raising awareness about LGBTQ+ rights in such a hostile environment and getting huge crowds of people to sing along with Glad To Be Gay with unbridled enthusiasm. He was always a great songwriter and musician. The Power In The Darkness album was a stunning debut, packed with great songs like Up Against The Wall, Winter ‘79, Ain’t Gonna Take It and others; songs that my teenage band covered at local gigs.
By 1983, following some unfortunate financial decisions, a second TRB album that had not fared so well and with the excellent but shortlived Sector 27 over too soon, Tom’s career recovered spectacularly with the release of the solo track War Baby, another song that captured the moment with its lyrical content touching so many raw nerves including lines like ‘All my friends joke and talk and laugh about Armageddon/But like a nightmare it’s still waiting there at the end of each and every day’. Musically, it was a triumph that showed Tom in a previously unseen light, using sophisticated chord progressions, haunting saxophone and his most dynamic vocal performance so far. The rest, as they say, is history and Tom continues to tour annually both with TRB and as a solo artist. I had the privilege of being a guest at their 2019 performance at the O2 Empire in Shepherds Bush. They had lost none of that youthful energy and Tom’s story-telling skills just added to a special night.
Wind the clock on, with half a century’s music career and decades as a national radio broadcaster behind him, Tom is one of the people who genuinely lives up to the term ‘legend’. Over that period, he has become known as a tireless supporter of new and aspiring artists. His hosting of the Mixtape Show into his early to mid seventies is testament to how consistently he has stayed in touch and continued to embrace and support new developments in popular music. Fresh on the Net, a platform that evolved out of a previous radio show of the same name, has become a haven for new and emerging talent mainly but by no means exclusively from the UK.
Since its inception, Tom has built and regularly replenished a team of moderators from a variety of backgrounds, each chosen for their involvement in new music whether as an active participant, a promoter, a writer or just as a dedicated fan. At the time of writing, we have individuals on the team who are involved in curating music festivals, regular gigs and popular playlists. We have hosts of radio shows who also publish widely-read blogs. We have mods in every corner of the UK and as far apart as Alderney in the Channel Islands and Belfast in Northern Ireland. We also have a small but dedicated pool of mods who regularly write the reviews of the fresh faves our readers choose from the weekly Listening Post. That is compiled from the 200 tracks we receive each week from an array of talented grassroots music artists both within and beyond the UK.
I joined the team at the start of 2018 and, in 2019, I curated the original Fresh on the Net Live festival in London under Tom’s supervision while my friend Chris Ingram put a similar one on in Edinburgh. It has taken five years, greatly due to the pandemic but also partly due to the struggle to obtain funding, but we are putting two Fresh on the Net Live festivals on again in 2024, one in London and one in Leicester. The funding is from the Arts Council of England and The National Lottery UK, hence both venues being in England but it is our hope to work with the other Arts Councils in the near future to put on similar events in the rest of the UK too. We have been offered a potentially awesome venue in Wales should this prove possible.
Over the six years and four months that I have been on the team, an unquantifiable debt of gratitude has been owed by all of us to Steve Harris. Steve has managed the platform day to day, applying his considerable IT skills to the presentation and layout of the reviews, interviews and articles that populate the website; also bringing his considerable diplomatic and leadership skills to resolving difficult issues and making fair rulings on issues of questionable behaviour by artists and those representing them on a periodic basis. Steve has also taken the decision to step down so the double whammy of his and Tom’s departure presents a challenge, especially for my good friend Del Owusu (who has been handed the mantle of becoming our new leader) but for all of us who intend being involved in proactively keeping things moving forward.
A big challenge will undoubtably be how Tom’s departure from the BBC Introducing show affects engagement with Fresh on the Net. Whilst I believe most artists realise it is about far more, there are a good number for whom the primary incentive in submitting tracks to us has been the potential for this to be a direct route onto the playlist for Tom’s radio show. It is impossible, at such an early stage, to predict what kind of relationship we will have with his replacement, Emily Pilbeam although she is also a high profile supporter of grassroots music. It will be a great bonus if we are able to link up with her in some way.
Either way, we will need to demonstrate that Fresh on the Net is and always has been about far more than pitching for a play on BBC 6 Music. For a start, when a track lands in our in-box, it will be listened to by all these individuals with involvement in such a wide spectrum of activities across the music industry and media. So there are still plenty of potential opportunities for artists to be discovered and to benefit from the ensuing exposure. I think people may also see an increase in regular content being published on the platform, making it one of the essential music blogs for people who want to know what is really happening across the piece in new music.
In the meantime, we need to pay tribute to the amazing work and commitment that Tom Robinson and Steve Harris have given to Fresh on the Net. I hope they will look back, at some point in the near future, with great pride at the legacy they will have left behind them. As I am always saying (more often than not as a hashtag!), New Music Never Sleeps. In today’s world, with more and easier access to recording, production and mastering than ever, we need the likes of Fresh on the Net to filter out the best and most exciting tracks and allow our discerning readers to pick their favourites too. And we need the corresponding Eclectic Picks and the interviews, reviews and articles that all add to the sum of support we are able to give to new music. Thanks to Tom Robinson and Steve Harris, all the Mods past and present as well as to the wider grassroots music community, we go forward in good shape.
I had a dream about Tom last night. We were seeing him off at an airport, with big hugs and a few tears, as he was off to a small island called ‘Feetup’ (somewhere in the Indian Ocean, it seems…). The airport was packed, full of fresh and not-so-fresh faced musicians, and as he boarded the plane, there was a sudden chorus of ‘There’s Only One Big Tom’. Hundreds of voices and instruments vibrating through Heathrow, perfectly orchestrated and harmonised. And as we looked along the runway, all the planes were tapping their wheels in time.
A lovely article, Neil, about the loveliest people. What they have done for the music world, for musicians, for me personally, for so, so many of us, has been just incredible. FOTN will live on, grow, and thrive because of the love and passion for music Tom and Steve have shown and encouraged all these years.
Love them. Love all the FOTN folk. And I hope Tom and Steve realise just how loved and appreciated they truly are. <3
Ah it’s so lovely to hear from you Nic and wow what an awesome dream. I wish I had dreams like that. Thanks for your kind words too and hope you’re keeping well. x
Such an amazing tribute to Tom and a brilliant summary of his early career. A truly great piece of writing that is obviously from the heart.
It may be the end of an era to see Tom and Steve stepping down but I’m optimistic that the future of FoTN is as bright as the artists who continue to submit tracks.
Ah thanks so much Paul. And I share your optimism for FoTN. Long may it continue. 🙂
A great, interesting read Neil! (Ironically the name of the latest track I submitted this week is ‘Read it’ so I hope lots of people do! 😁). Thanks to Tom, Steve and all the wonderful team at FOTN! 👍🏼 I’ll continue to support it wherever I can and here’s hoping it goes from strength to strength! 💪🏼 Sono.
Our thanks. I hope so too. 🙂
Thanks for posting this Neil. It’s a brilliant tribute to Tom and Steve. They’re both legends. FOTN will continue to be as loved and respected as it always has!
Ah thanks so much Tim. 🙂
Wow! I’m so much more informed after reading this. Phenomenal. Thanks for this Neil.
Ah thanks John. 🙂
I met Tom through FOTN many years ago, and made a long lasting artistic partnership and friendship from that meeting. Tom has always been a great champion of the independent artist at the BBC and his work will certainly not be forgotten. Thanks Tom.
wonderful written
Ah thanks Hannya. 🙂
Great words Neil!
Tom is a true legend and it is really nice to hear this expressed so eloquently and passionately.
Dave Dark and the Sharks have a lot to thank Tom for, as he has played and supported us on his BBC Radio 6 Music shows, for what must be now 18 years. Tom even kindly contributed spoken word to one of our tracks and also edited the video.
Tom’s presence and involvement with BBC Introducing and FOTN will break sadly missed in my opinion, but the step back was one of life’s inevitabilities.
FOTN is a very valuable outlet, as is BBC Introducing, so it is important we give both support, in order to maintain their presence.
Rich Wilde
..sorry , should read “…presence and involvement with BBC Introducing and FOTN will be sadly missed”
Very enjoyable and interesting read. Sad to know Tom and Steve’s FOTN association is no more but wishing them well and hope they continue to vote on LP! Looking forward to a couple of Tom Robinson gigs this year.
I’m a regular voter on LP (hope that’s okay but it is addictive). I’m in the (just a) music fan category and loving the opportunity to be a more active listener. I just wish there were more Joe Public listeners like me voting alongside those who are involved in making/promoting music. The essence of LP seems to be about unsigned bands/artists finding out how the public rate their music so it would be great to see that wider involvement so these quality tracks get heard. I’ve found so many amazing artists that I’ve continued to follow, and enjoy reading the FOTN blogs, interviews etc.
Keep up the excellent work!
Ah thanks Dave and thanks Sheena. And in answer to your question Sheena, we love having people like you who vote every week and bring your objectivity to the platform. So thank you for being a regular reader and voter. Dave, I forgot Tom was on your track. That is so cool. 🙂
A great piece of writing Neil.
And many thanks to Tom and Steve (for everything!).
Ah thanks lovely Happys and I echo that sentiment. 🙂
Neil – Having just read your informative, & absorbing, piece on the lovely Tom Robinson, it makes you realise how we all got to this point. The end of an era, but the start (continuation?) of another. It did feel as though things will never be the same again – I’m a creature of habit, so this all came as a great shock to me. Tom’s reassuring presence will be greatly missed, but always wanting to look on the bright side of things, it seems that the Fresh On The Net team is well-prepared to take newly undiscovered music forward for the forseeable future.
Ah thanks Graham and thanks for always being such a great supporter of grassroots music. I think it will take us all some time to get over this change but we are blessed to be part of such a lovely community and the contribution Tom and Steve have made to that situation will never be forgotten. 🙂
A wonderful tribute to our very lovely (and national treasure) Tom Robinson Neil.
As you know I have for a long time been wondering what would happen to Fresh on the Net longer term when Tom finally stepped back from things. So it’s great news that the leadership baton has been passed to Del – who is a perfect choice as I know he will do an excellent job!
Superb tribute Neil.
Thanks Tom and Steve for all you have done.
Great to hear that FOTN will be moving forward … it is such a good way to hear new bands, new music and new ideas.
On a long drive this past week I actually tried listening to the official UK charts… and with the odd exception it was nowhere near the quality of what you get here. Some of the established acts can more or less “come on stage, fart, and get an encore” (David Coverdale quote I think)… and it is telling with some of their output. Still, I suppose it is tough at the top too!
Ah thanks. Lovely comments John. 🙂
Superb article, great words. Thanks for everything Tom and the team, looking forward to discovering more great music! TOOJIM
Apologies Sue. For some reason I only just saw your post but thanks as always for your kind words and support. Scary but exciting times ahead. Lookin forward to seeing you this week too. 🙂
Ah thanks TooJim. I hope we will continue to live up to the standards Tom and Steve have set for the team. 🙂
Great read and a fitting tribute. Amazing to hear that the great work will continue!
Ah thanks Martin. 🙂