Category Archives: Gig Reviews

REAL GONE GOES OUT: Wheatus – Brighton Centre, Brighton, East Sussex 14/2/2025

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Back in the year 2000, it was hard to avoid Wheatus. The rock-pop band’s song ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ was a hit on a massive scale. Not just in the UK; it also hit the top three of the singles chart in Ireland, Germany, Australia, Switzerland and Belgium and Austria. In three of those countries, it even reached the coveted top spot. Its peak of #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 seems almost conservative by comparison, but the band’s career certainly began with a bang. A cover of Erasure’s ‘A Little Respect’ was also a hit and a debut album was well received, but as far as many people are concerned, Wheatus subsequently disappeared and are best remembered as a flash in the pan success, much like Deep Blue Something a few years earlier.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Travis – Hall By The Sea, Dreamland, Margate, Kent 11/12/2024

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It’s just a couple of weeks until Christmas. The days may be short, and the weather less than pleasant, but Margate is still very busy. Thankfully, the seafront has stopped being harassed by the tail end of the storm that has battered the west coast, but things feel less than calm and decidedly soggy. The weather hasn’t stopped most of the locals coming to Dreamland for a huge night out, however, and the Travis show is a sell out. The upstairs room – the Hall By The Sea – has seen many busy nights in the past, but few have felt as absolutely rammed as tonight’s gig. It feels as if the entire town has shown up to support the band, and that’s not entirely surprising since this is supposedly the popular Scottish band’s first ever visit to the seaside resort.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Ocean Alley – Hall By The Sea, Dreamland, Margate, Kent 14/9/2024

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With two gigs taking place at the Dreamland venue, it’s a busy night in Margate. Most people are assembled at the Scenic Stage to witness a double headliner between Orbital and Leftfield, marking the end of this year’s big outdoor shows for the summer. A more select crowd have chosen to spend the evening indoors at the Hall By The Sea welcoming Ocean Alley, visiting heroes from Australia.

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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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