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

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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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #88

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time out, we bring a new track from a great pop punk act, a great sounding number written in record time, a perfect blend of metal and industrial on a brilliantly aggressive workout, an equally great number that’ll appeal to lovers of melodic singer songwriter material, and more besides. Obviously, as 2025 begins to take shape, we’ll be bringing you many more treats… In the meantime, we hope there’s something new to enjoy here!

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SYPHA – Borderland EP

The release of their ‘Sober’ single in 2022 heralded Sypha’s arrival on the metal scene as something worth celebrating. That track shared a heavy riff which blended a classic metal sound with a more modern edge, working something that sounded like Shinedown crossed with the swagger of an on form Halestorm. In Alicia Pilling, the band also possessed a hugely melodic talent, and the blend of sounds led to a near perfect slice of chunky yet accessible metal. Subsequent singles proved that this was no fluke: with each successive track, the band flaunted a great sound, and the vocals continued to suggest Pilling would be an asset to the UK’s rock scene.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #86

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar! We’ve got another cool selection this week, taking in some punk ‘n’ roll, very dark electronica, some incredibly raw garage based noise, and the return of a funk rock powerhouse. As always, we hope the variety offers something for everyone. If you find something new to enjoy, we’d love to hear from you!

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Watch: The Rattlebacks return with new video ‘Waste’

Those who’ve been keeping a close eye on Brighton’s The Rattlebacks throughout 2024 will have witnessed a band seemingly going from strength to strength. Each of the singles released from their forthcoming album has found the band sounding much more confident than before. Blending elements of melodic hard rock and a pinch of grunginess, the band’s best songs have conveyed a broad sound, and with ‘Dementia Lounge’ especially, The Rattlebacks’ ability to combine absolutely killer late 80s/early 90s riffs with a vocal that celebrates a classic rock approach reached its peak.

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