The rockin' Robin: Iconic Black Country venue celebrates 25 years

Since opening, the venue, now based in Bilston, has welcomed a huge array of stars – from the late, great Ben E King, to Blues Brothers icon Steve Cropper, The Animals, Glenn Hughes, Billy Ocean, Peter Green and 10CC; to name but a few.

And, despite having had two grand openings at different venues, each time The Robin has been officially opened by Slade’s Noddy Holder. He was also joined by Roy Wood for the opening of the Robin 2 back in 1998.

Not only has the venue played host to top acts, but it has also paved the way for budding acts to get started.

At the tender age of 13, Black Country blues sensation Joanne Shaw Taylor played her first-ever show at The Robin.

She said: “I was 37 years old when I opened The Robin R'n'B Club as I called it, at The Robin Hood Inn, in Pedmore Road, Quarry Bank, on April 9, 1992,” said owner Mike, who had formerly worked at GKN Sankey Vending in Bilston.

“I wanted to forge a business for myself in the music 'biz' - I figured there must be more to life than designing vending machines.

“I started the business from my mom and dad’s front room in Victoria Road, Quarry Bank, just up the road from The Robin Hood, later to become my first venue.

“I started an independent record label by day and did PA hire for bands at night. The record label soon ate up all the money I had saved while at GKN, so it was off to the bank for a loan and, after a year or two, I managed to make living – just.”

In 1992, a school friend of Mike’s took on the lease for The Robin Hood pub from former leaseholder Ray Hingley, who had made the venue famous after Chris Tarrant’s OTT was filmed in the bar. The venue had also become well-known locally for The Black Country Night Out at The Citizens Theatre, based at the back of the pub.

“Even though it was local I had never been in The Robin Hood, so I went down to see how John was doing,” added Mike, now aged 63.

“He showed me around and took me into The Citizens Theatre which, by now, was hardly used and I said ‘this would make a great venue’.

“I had a spare PA system available that was not being used so, after much deliberation, I started bringing bands in to help John bring in some trade. The arrangement was I would put on the bands, provide the sound and lighting, and do the advertising and John would run the bars.”

And so, The Robin was born. The first act to play the venue was put together by local music mogul Roy Williams, called The Journeymen. This supergroup was made up of a plethora of local musicians including Mike Sanchez (Big Town Playboys), Trevor Burton (The Move, Trevor Burton Band, Steve Gibbons Band), the late Jim Hickman (Little Acre), and Kate Pereira.

The second act to play were Soul Survivors, who were tonight returning to The Robin 2 as part of the venue’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

The crowds were flocking in, but when Mike took on a 10-year lease for the venue, he says it was an uphill struggle; having never ran a pub previously.

“It was a huge gamble,” said Mike.

“I had no experience in running a pub so it was a case of making it all up as I went along and learning the hard way by making all the mistakes.”

Not only was Mike faced with the challenge of keeping a pub afloat, but he also had opposition from a neighbour who complained about the noise, which led to the authorities imposing a 10.30pm curfew on the venue.

“It nearly finished us off,” added Mike.

“I took it to court and we won. The curfew was lifted and we lived to tell the tale.

“From the start I wanted to create a live music venue with great live bands, great sound, great lights, great atmosphere, great people watching the bands, with no trouble.

“Just a place where people could enjoy good, live music with a pint in their hand - and it was clear from the start The Robin was something special.

“They were really pioneering times in terms of building a venue.

“It was not all plain sailing, but in a few years The Robin was attracting international artists from around the world - no small achievement for a pub in Quarry Bank.

“My one passion is blues and blues rock bands and I have had some of the real greats appear at both Robins including Luther Allison, Joe Bonamassa, Steven Seagal, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Taj Mahal, Eric Bibb, Walter Trout, and more recently Eric Gales, to name but a few.

“I have also witnessed some of the great Midlands blues artists start their careers at The Robin back in the 1990s, including Ian Parker, Aynsley Lister and Joanne Shaw Taylor. Some great memories.”

Not only has The Robin brought big names to the region, but also provided a platform for an array of highly-successful tribute acts.

“About a year or so into The Robin a truly unbelievable musical phenomenon occurred – 'tribute' bands,” said Mike.

“These tributes brought in a completely new audience. The Robin was at the beginning of that phenomenon that has carried on to today.

“Some people have always criticised me for putting on tributes but, in our defence, where can you go and hear and see The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Abba, David Bowie T-Rex in an intimate atmosphere, at an affordable price?

“And I have always balanced this out by featuring 50 per cent great original bands.”

Despite The Robin’s successes, changes were on the horizon. The landlords sold the pub off to new owners, which caused Mike to question where the venue’s future lay, given that they were only required to give Mike six months’ notice to terminate at the end of the lease.

“I decided to look around for a more sustainable future and buy a venue of my own to take over,” he added.

“A friend of a friend contacted me about the sale of a derelict property in Bilston, formerly known as The Rising Star. I went over to view the property it was in a terrible state.

“Pigeons were flying around in the building and it looked as if someone had tried to burn it down.

“But as soon as I walked in, it reminded me of The Robin 1. I thought ‘I can do this’, so I purchased the property, again another huge gamble, and donned my next hard hat as project manager with a merry bunch of tradesmen, many of them family and friends – including my dad who was then in his 70s.

“We opened The Robin 2 to the general public on Friday, September 18, 1998, featuring Roy Wood’s Big Band Army.

“I managed to get a small extension on the lease of The Robin 1, from expiring in 2002 to 2003, so I operated The Robin 1 and Robin 2 concurrently from 1998 to 2003.

“But, as suspected, the new landlords gave me notice to vacate The Robin Hood in 2003, so it was very lucky that I had The Robin 2 to carry on the legacy.”

In 2003, Mike was offered the chance to buy the properties adjacent to The Robin 2; which led to the venue being extended to take 700 people.

Much-needed amenities such as dressing rooms, the box office and Woody’s Bar were also added. The bar was opened by Roy Wood on Friday, February 10, 2005. The hotel was later added in 2007.

Despite the many challenges, The Robin 2 is still very much alive. When asked about his love for music and why he fought for the wonderful venue we have today, Mike said:

“Live music can really get inside you, it can make you happy, it can make you cry.

“And when you get a roomful of people together sharing that emotion it is something really special.

“It can take you back to another time in your life, so I think live music will always be with us.”

Fans of The Robin, and The Robin 2, plus all past members of staff are being invited to celebrate the venue’s 25th anniversary tonight, where Soul Survivors will perform.

Entry is free for former members of staff, while entry to the public is £5 in advance or £6 on the door.

For more information on the venue's 25th anniversary celebration, click here