TRIBE AFTER TRIBE - Tribe After Tribe (1991)

Megaforce/Atlantic/Tusk, ATC9907


Charismatic frontman Robbi Robb cut his teeth with the seminal punk band The Asylum Kids in the late 70s, best known for the banned anthem 'Fight It With Your Mind'. Upon the band's demise, Robb formed Tribe After Tribe in Johannesburg in 1984. Like The Asylum Kids, the band was a thorn in the side of apartheid authorities with their outspoken political lyrics and live performances. In 1985 they released their debut album, Power, featuring the hit 'As I Went Out One Morning (Damsel)'. Robb and the band soon moved to the US, settling in Los Angeles, and in the late 80s made a solo contribution to the soundtrack of 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'. Not long after that they released this, their second album. With hard-rocking 'Afro-Acid Rock' tracks like 'White Boys in the Jungle' and 'Build A Subway', it helped the band earn a following on the grunge scene, opening for Pearl Jam in the early 90s before Robb and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament formed a side project, Three Fish, recording two albums later in the decade. Tribe After Tribe was followed by Love Under Will (1993), Pearls Before Swine (1997), Enchanted Entrance (2002) and MOAB (2009). Today Robb and his Tribe are still going strong (website here), with Robb a revered guitarist, lyricist and 'rock mystic'. Check out this interview and live performance on South African TV from the mid-80s...