Robb Johnson live at Rosslyn Court (again!)

Note that this is on a FRIDAY not the normal Thursday. Robb’s widely recognised as one of the UK’s finest songwriters. “An English original”, (Robin Denselow, the Guardian) ... “a national treasure” (Mike Harding)… “one of this country’s most important songwriters (no argument!)” (fROOTS). He enjoys playing pubs, clubs, the occasional festival, art centres, benefits & picket lines. Before Brexit he toured regularly in Europe, & he has also visited the USA a couple of times. Robb has been releasing albums on his Irregular Records label since 1985. Particular highlights have been the song suite Gentle Men, a family history of the First World War told through the lives of his grandfathers, which received widespread praise when it was first performed & recorded as part of the Passendale Peace Concerts in 1997 & again when it was re-recorded in 2013, with Roy Bailey singing the grandfathers’ songs in both versions. In 2018 Robb released Ordinary Giants, a critically acclaimed 3 CD song suite based on his father’s life & times - “A masterwork” (fROOTS)…“A remarkable achievement” (Songlines)… “Monumental”-(FATEA) - & in 2019 he was commissioned to write the songs for Hartlepool Festival’s original concert Your Affectionate Son. Robb’s single celebrating the life & work of veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner, Tony Skinner’s Lad, topped the Amazon download singles chart for a week in 2020 (ahead of Kylie Minogue & Bruce Springsteen) & raised over £1000 for the Justice For Orgreave campaign. In 2022 Robb created Murder At The Grange, a festive whodunnit in spoken word & song, that has been touring to great acclaim & increasingly packed audiences every December since. “A cracker of a show… a delightful extravaganza and a uniquely dark and different way to celebrate the winter season” (Folk Radio) Recently, in summer 2024 Robb released Pennypot Lane. Recorded at Gent’s Room 13 studio, the album consists of new recordings of 8 songs that other people have particularly liked (including “More Than Enough”, recently recorded by Martin Simpson, & “Winter Turns to Spring”, Tony Benn’s favourite song). In Spring 2025 Robb released a band album recorded with the current line-up of the electric band The Irregulars, Voila! Here We Are to very positive reviews, & in October there was a solo album of new songs, The Optimist Hotel. The album was again recorded in Room 13, & features guest vocals from Belgian folk diva Vera Coomans. The release was accompanied by a UK tour. Both album & tour were the subject of very positive reviews. The album was rated “must listen” by Folk London – “Part of his appeal seems to be that his passion for freedom and commitment to social justice is tempered by humanity, sensitivity and humour, and this engaging formula is as strong as ever on The Optimist Hotel… It’s worth pointing out that though Johnson usually receives most acclaim for his songwriting, he’s a highly skilled guitarist. All in all, the album is an absorbing listen and another testament to Johnson’s mastery.” “Every time I get a new Robb Johnson album I am amazed at the breadth of ideas and his skill in communicating those ideas. The Optimist Hotel is no exception The album is everything I’ve come to expect from Robb, deceptively gentle but dealing with serious subjects – a musical iron fist in a velvet glove.” (Folking.com) “Brilliant – bring him back” “Wonderful singer-songwriter… Great evening!” (audience feedback, South Street Reading) A review of the Reading concert in RNR commented Robb’s “adept multi-ringed fingerwork has been overshadowed by his known prowess as a composer… his matey, often self-deprecating continuity triggered easy rapport with listeners” “A wonderful concert. I was particularly struck by how gentle and beautiful your songs were.” (Rosslyn Court) In 2026 Robb will be releasing Souvenir, a live recording of his 70th birthday performance of English Chanson material at London’s Crazy Coq’s cabaret, collaborating with folk melodeon legend Roger Watson on an album entitled Six of One & Half-a-Dozen of the Other, & recording a new solo album for release in 2027. “in my view one of the best songwriters this country has produced in many a year… the appellation National Treasure is often over-used, but in Robb’s case it is entirely appropriate (St Edith’s Folk) “One of Britain’s finest songwriters, a genuine folk legend” (Twickfolk) Rosslyn Court Expect a small, seated, friendly, quirky, listening venue with a heart – we have a tiny bar selling beer, wine, cider, gin! and hot and cold drinks -nibbly stuff and always a cake. The venue is accessible, on one level. You will be seated at tables or in rows, according to numbers in the audience. If you need to use your phone for texting or lyrics, please turn the brightness of your phone down and consider sitting near the back to minimise the impact. Arrive at 7pm to get a seat, a drink and a chat before the concert. The first hour of concerts is livestreamed on YouTube. You can watch it any time after 7.30 on the night of the concert via the Rosslyn Court Website. There is an exclusive second set for the audience in the room, including a Q&A with the performers. We ask you to make a donation, please, when you watch the livestream to help us to continue this service. There is a Rosslyn Court raffle. £1 a ticket. You may win a CD …or a “Who Gives A Crap” emergency toilet roll! WGAC donate half their profits to water charities and are plastic free. People who donate during the concert are entered into the raffle. There is usually a floor singer and often a 2-minute community slot informing us of what happens locally. The second half starts with a Q&A and is not livestreamed. If you think of something you want to know more about in the first half, just ask! Sometimes there is another floor song. The concerts usually finish well before 10. Except for Tim Edey because he is unstoppable. (We also run a B&B here hahaha) If you want to view the livestream after midnight of the concert date then go to the livestream option on the website where all the old livestreams live. Tickets are kept as affordable as we can and there are always a few cheaper and others more expensive to help us subsidise the concessionary seats.. Sometimes tickets are a little more expensive to reflect the status of the performer. This year we are trialling an early bird ticket price to encourage people to book at least a month in advance. Please ring for more details, 07902140248 See you soon Morag Rosslyn Court morag@rosslyncourt.com www.rosslyncourt.com/events 07902140248 62 Sweyn Rd Margate CT92DD