Category Archives: Gig Reviews

REAL GONE GOES OUT: MANIC STREET PREACHERS – Dreamland, Margate, Kent 19/7/2024

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The last night of their double headlining tour with the mighty Suede finds Manic Street Preachers visiting the seaside town of Margate. The Welsh heroes have been here before, but not for some time. They first played here as part of a Radio 1 Roadshow in 1993, a day Nicky Wire remembers well. “I lost a lot of money on the diddlers”, he tells the audience, before clarifying his Welsh slang refers to the town’s slot machines, and James Dean Bradfield reminds everyone to “gamble responsibly!” to the amusement of a sell-out crowd.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Electric Six – The Booking Hall, Dover, Kent 10/7/2024

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Dover is hardly the rock ‘n’ roll epicentre of the South East, but that hasn’t stopped Detroit’s Electric Six making a return visit to The Booking Hall. When Dick Valentine and his cohorts visited back in June 2022, their gig was a sell out, and the enthusiastic crowd were given a night to remember. Tonight’s show is also, unsurprisingly, a sell out, but looking around the room, there are obvious gaps. There’s a feeling that a few ticket holders have opted to stay at home and watch the England team in the semi finals of the Euros. It’s a case of unfortunate timing, and its obviously a factor that’s very much on Valentine’s unique mind.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Deacon Blue – Dreamland, Margate, Kent 28/6/2024

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Deacon Blue’s addition to Dreamland’s Summer Series of gigs may have been a little late, coming a few weeks after the confirmation of Simple Minds, Madness, Bryan Adams, Limp Bizkit and Manic Street Preachers, but since the Scottish pop band haven’t ever played in Margate before, this additional date on their 2024 tour is a most welcome one.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: The Bluetones – Dreamland, Margate, Kent 28/6/2024

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It’s approximately 7pm on a slightly overcast summer evening and a few rather unassuming figures wander onto Dreamland’s massive Scenic Stage. They are Britpop legends The Bluetones, a band who were never as good at generating their own press as Oasis, and never had the pin-up status of Sleeper’s Louise Wener, but their best singles were among the Britpop scene’s finest, and as musicians, their 60s meets 90s jangle was always exceptionally tight. This is actually their second visit to Margate in under a year – they played the Dreamland Ballroom back in October 2023, playing the whole of their ‘Return To The Last Chance Saloon’ album – but, tonight, their support slot with Scotland’s Deacon Blue promises to be just as special.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Simple Minds – Dreamland, Margate, Kent 20/6/2024

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Simple Minds are no strangers to Margate. They previously visited the seaside town in 2013 on a Greatest Hits tour, and again two years later, promoting ‘Big Music’ – arguably been the best Simple Minds record in many a year. Both gigs took place in the currently closed Winter Gardens, and the band’s presence in the shabby listed building seemed like a bit of a departure from their 80s arena days. It’s also been said that, around that time, Jim Kerr’s voice was supposedly not as good as it had been, but for the hardcore fans, these shows were still well received.

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