VARIOUS ARTISTS – Moving Away From The Pulsebeat: Post Punk Britain 1977-1981

When punk shook Britain’s music scene in ‘76, it came as a revelation. The DIY spirit of the Buzzcocks’ ‘Spiral Scratch’ EP suggested that anyone could be in a band; you didn’t need to have to have years worth of musical training. Music could also be about capturing an energy and a spirit. Punk’s first wave was relatively short-lived. By 1978, guitar driven bands were mixing the less flashy elements of punk with bigger melodies, resulting in the mod influenced sounds of The Jam and the broader power pop of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Some were even taking punk’s pure drive and creating what would now be considered goth, and bands like Ultravox! and Wire – arguably the greatest bands to be tagged with the term “post punk” – added strange and angular artiness, shaping the sounds of a generation.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #44

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we bring you some hazy sounding neo-psychedelia, an interesting take on a post punk/goth sound, a great singer songwriter, a melodic rock banger, a slice of Latin jazz, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #41

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we bring you the return of some ska legends, a remix from a cult dream pop act, something with a huge electronica/dance core, some massive stoner/doom riffs…and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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Watch: ‘Strong Enough’ – a new video from Pollyanna Blue

In the second half of 2023, following a handful of digital singles, alternative rock band Pollyanna Blue released their long anticipated debut EP. It did not disappoint. With four songs melding the sounds of 90s grunge with the light electronica of bands like Metric, the material had a brilliant crossover sound, but with very conscious lyrics dealing with themes of depression and other mental health issues, it also had an edge that some new, young bands lack.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #40

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. Our popular feature continues to gain attention and we’ve had a flood of submissions this week. Picking a few of the best, as always, we’ve attempted to bring you a variety of sounds, from punky power pop to a soul/rap crossover, from indie rock to an unexpected Japanese arty piece. Hopefully, these choices capture the quirkiness we always aim to bring…and we hope you find something to enjoy!

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