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It’s something that is music to the ears of one of the city’s most well-known punk, John Robb, whose band, Goldblade, have just celebrated their eleventh year together by completing the recordings for their new album, Mutiny.

John in action with Goldblade

John says their record label think is "the best punk rock album for 25 years and they don't do hype", a description that he’s not about to deny.

"It’s all recorded now and sounds great! Stuffed full of twisted, skewed anthems, it’s a punk rock album but like no other. We got the energy and the anthems and crazy 'state of the nation' lyrics, but we twist them around so you don't get exactly what you expect.

"We wanted something that was really exciting and would cause riots in mosh pits, but mess with your head as well!"

John of all trades

Not that John has only been working on creating music recently. Ever the multi-tasker, alongside "lots of touring and lots of wild gigs, plenty of riotous nights up and down the country and all over Europe", he’s also found time to work on three new books, take a spoken word tour of Germany and do "loads of TV stuff".

One of the highlights: Babyshambles at the Arena

At the centre of it all, though, is John’s unending love for live music. When he’s not a stage himself, he’s standing in front of one, watching everyone from global stars to complete unknowns, which has given him more than a few delights in the last 12 months, though one gig has got him particularly riled up.

"The Sex Pistols was, of course, fantastic. Don’t believe the reviews - the gig was amazing. They may have none of the revolutionary baggage from 30 years ago but if you want that, do it yourself, which was surely the message from punk in the first place.

"The Pistols are now an utterly fantastic rock ‘n’ roll band. They sounded awesome. They were really exciting and Rotten is a compelling frontman. The mosh pit was insane, the biggest I’ve ever seen, and the audience wasn't as old as the reviews liked to make out, and so what even if it was old? No-one cares if Brian Wilson has got an old crowd!

In new music he trusts

With so many gigs under his belt in the past year, there’s probably nobody better placed to pass judgement on the state of music, both locally and nationally – and for John, things are pretty rosy at the moment.

"The scene [in Manchester] has been at its strongest for years. It was great to see The Courteeners break through with top songs and a great attitude. Twisted Wheel are a top band as well; great tough sound and a nice Johnny Cash flavour to their garage guitar band rush - they will be massive next year.

Goldblade

"The Ting Tings have some good tunes, the Paris Riots are a great live band, the Headlines are a cool and quirky outfit - everywhere you turn, there is a great band. On nights off from touring, I'm out there seeing stuff and it’s shocking how much good stuff there is!

"On a national level, the British punk rock scene is at its strongest too. There are loads of sold out festivals and a great wave on new bands - the third wave of British punk is really happening - and loads of people are dressing up again, which is really cool."

A healthy punk scene, some great new Mancunian bands and a new Goldblade album ready to roll? No wonder John’s happy.

Goldblade, with support from Argy Bargy and The Grit, play Academy 3 on Friday 7 December. Tickets are £10