I was taking my band Trapeze back out on a tour of America. I felt it necessary before we left to do a warm-up show in our homeland in the West Midlands. Mike at The Robin, the original Robin in Brierley Hill, reached out to us to see if we would like to do a show there.

In fact we did two shows, to a very enthusiastic and welcoming Black Country audience.

Those two shows were amazing, sending us off to America for an amazing tour in March 1994.

As everyone knows, my band Trapeze started our career in the Black Country in 1969, so it was very appropriate to play these two shows in our home county.

There was much love in the room on those 2 evenings, when very appropriately, our fans sang along with us: ‘You are the music, we’re just the band’.

Over the course of the last couple of decades I have played the Robin as a solo artist on many occasions and to be very honest with you, this venue, in my opinion, is one of the greatest music venues in the United Kingdom, keeping Rock music very much alive.

It’s always a joy for me to give back to my fans, and Mike and his staff at the Robin have treated all rock bands and fans with the greatest respect. I have the most amazing memories of all my shows there.

All my love and respect to you all.

Glenn Hughes, California

Colin has been on the road for more than 50 years and his hits with The Zombies included She’s Not There, Tell Her No, She’s Coming Home and Time of the Season. His solo hits have included I Don’t Believe In Miracles, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted and The Tracks of My Tears.

What can I say? Mike is a great, great guy. We’ve become part of the Robin family and we’ve had some great nights with him – including, of course, when we played at his wedding.

I often say the Robin 2 is the best rock’n’roll club in the UK. I honestly believe it is. I’ve been on the road for more than 50 years and we’ve played some great places. But the Robin 2 is my favourite. It’s the best of the lot.

I’ve been playing there for some years and I love going back.

To start off with, the people that run the place are very professional and supportive. Mike has a great team and they make it very easy for us. The next thing is, it’s a great room. The space really works and we’re able to generate a really good atmosphere when we’re on stage.

Beyond that, the Robin 2 has a great sound and the history of the place is amazing. It really is one of the foremost places in the country and the list of whose played there is awesome. When you play there, you’re aware of all of the greats who’ve gone before you. The venue has real presence, real character and you get that feeling from it.

And then there’s the fans. The fans are very knowledgeable and appreciative. So as an artist or performer, it’s encouraging and uplifting to play there because the people are with you, cheering you on.