Listen: Real Gone’s New Release Round-Up – January-March 2021

After a fairly devastating year, 2021 got off to an equally wobbly start due to a global pandemic still dragging its heels and refusing to leave.  With no sign of big UK gigs returning any time soon and a lot of smaller, DIY bands really missing being on stage, everyone turned to Bandcamp and other similar websites for continued entertainment.

On the plus side, this has kept Real Gone busier than ever. The first quarter of 2021 has been our busiest to date, with bands and labels approaching us by the hundred, looking for good quality coverage.

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Stream: The Ghost Of Indie Top 20 (A Real Gone Playlist)

Back in the 90s, a series of compilation albums called ‘Indie Top 20’ provided exciting listening for a generation of NME readers.  The series of cassettes (and latterly CDs) brought together 20 indie hits and underground bangers of the day, providing what would become an important time capsule for future generations.

The compilers were unafraid to pitch the era’s heavyweights Pop Will Eat Itself and Carter USM against the then up and coming Sleeper and Salad; it also gave a huge platform to bands that now seem too often forgotten, like Tiny Monroe and 18 Wheeler.  Whatever appeared, fans absorbed like sponges.  Those compilations were often responsible for creating cast iron favourites.

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Discharge announced for MPF 2020

Several bands have been added to the line up this week for next years MPF (Manchester Punk Festival). Among the new additions are UK hardcore legends Discharge, who will be celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2020. With its mix of hardcore intensities, thrash riffs and pointed political messages, Discharge’s 1981 release ‘Why?’ remains a favourite among hardcore fans. Their appearance at the independent festival is a big draw for the event.

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