This visit to the popular Singles Bar presents a variety of new and underground sounds. There’s a singer songwriter sharing a deep folk melody, the return of some British ska legends, and even a tune from a legendary Britpop act that’s a little different to many of their biggest hits. You’ll also find a great cover tune, a massive slab of Finnish metal, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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When Sleeper reunited in 2017 to appear as special guests on the brief Star Shaped Festival tour, it was billed as being for four shows only. Eight years, two new albums and several dozen live shows later, they’re still with us, and tonight, Louise Wener and her band kick off their thirtieth anniversary tour in Margate.
It’s just before 9pm. Attracting one of the biggest crowds ever seen for a support slot at Dreamland, Jake Bugg has just delivered a fantastic set, and the venue’s DJ has just traded in the 90s bangers for a JJ Cale track. The subsequent arrival of ‘Whipping Post’ by The Allman Brothers Band lends the feeling that this is at the request of Supergrass mainman Gaz Coombes, keen to build a more retro atmosphere before his band takes the stage.
At 9pm sharp, the Allmans get cut off in their prime; the stage is bathed in red light and Sweet’s classic ‘Blockbuster’ provides a rousing intro tape for the arrival of four figures who are about to whip the audience into a frenzy. Or at least that’s the theory.
The early nineties were an exciting time for guitar based music. Grunge dominated the rock scene, but as any avid viewer of the ITV Chart Show will tell you, circa 1992, the indie chart was brimming with great bands, often more of a UK vintage. Shoegaze sounds captured the underground; jangly indie acts – like The La’s and World of Twist – celebrated more of a 60s vintage, and the social commentary that drove bands like Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine and The Wonder Stuff found itself crossing over for massive chart success.
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.