Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League, who is currently serving a 13-month prison sentence after being found guilty of contempt of court, has reformed his seventies punk band, and will release a new single tomorrow.
The Tom Robinson Band (TRB) were formed in 1976, and had a string of early successes with their 'Rising Free EP', 'Too Good To Be True' and the anthemic '2-4-6-8 Motorway', amongst those you might remember. The B-side of the latter, released in 1978, was 'I Shall Be Released', and this will be Tommy's new release.
Originally penned in 1967 by well-known 'rebel', Bob Dylan, the song repeats the theme that the singer is innocent, a man 'who swears he's not to blame', and who is 'crying out that he was framed'. Forgetting for a minute this oath is not quite true in Tommy's case, the song will have real resonance with the activist's supporters, with the assertion that 'any day now, any day now', he 'will be released'.
The song is sure to get Tommy's fans rocking in the streets during the protest for his release from jail, which is planned for Saturday 14 July. The protest was initially organised for 7 July, but the England football team were playing that day, and you have to get your priorities right.
Tommy has now come 'full circle'; after starting out with TRB, he moved on to EDL, went over to the USA, came back to the UK, was seen on the BBC, got slung in HMP, and is now back again with TRB, 40 years on.
BBC Radio DJ Tom Robinson was unavailable for comment.
