Tag Archives: folk rock

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #168

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This time around at the Singles Bar, we bring you a couple of familiar names, but a whole world of brand new sounds from artists making their first appearance here, and in the case of a punk act, a plug for their very first studio recording! Among the eight picks, you’ll find an inspired cover tune, some great indie pop with a rootsier edge, and even an up and coming Irish act who appear to be in a bad mood… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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https://ko-fi.com/realgonerocks

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #155

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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, we bring you a really noisy piece of retro indie rock with a shoegaze overtone, a collaboration that serves up some late 60s tones doused with a 90s coolness, a pleasingly mellow track dominated by an aching vocal, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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STEPHEN McCAFFERTY – Monsters And Lullabies

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Scottish singer songwriter Stephen McCafferty first reached an audience as part of indie rock band Return To The Sun, with whom he gained support from Radio X, while still broadcasting under the XFM name. After the band dissolved, Stephen disappeared. It seemed that, despite support from some high places, he wasn’t going to persue a career in music any longer.

He returned as as solo artist in 2020 with a digital single, ‘Spectre of Light’, but due to everyone being more concerned with a global pandemic and everything closing down, it didn’t appear to make a huge impact. Following another spell out of the spotlight, Stephen re-appeared again in 2024, by which time, the musical landscape looked rather different. His songs, however, remained as solidly written as ever, and his track ‘What Are We Waiting For’ – released digitally in January of that year – re-introduced listeners to a composer capable of a sharing thoughtful lyric, but just as importantly, someone blessed with a melodic ear that could potentially take his new material to an even keener fan base.

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IAIN MATTHEWS – Thro’ My Eyes: The Vertigo Years 1970-1974

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After leaving Fairport Convention rather prematurely in 1969, singer songwriter Iain Matthews embarked on what was to be an epic musical journey. His first solo album ‘Matthews’ Southern Comfort’, released that same year, saw him venturing further away from folk and further into the realms of country rock and Americana, and two further albums released under the Matthews’ Southern Comfort band name cemented a warm, rootsy sound, eventually netting Matthews a UK #1 hit with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’, presented in the mould of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version. For the more casual observer, that will be the recording for which Iain is best known.

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Listen: The Othyrs share new track ‘Nobody Knows’ ahead of album release

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On their self titled debut album, The Othyrs – a band featuring members of indie band The Wolfhounds – explored a world of acoustic-based folk and pop music. On stripped down tracks like ‘Money To Burn’, the quieter musical stance provided a superb backdrop for Alice Golding’s pure vocals, whilst busier numbers like ‘Time’s No Martyr’ and ‘Wasps & Nettles’ showcased great harmonies shared between the various band members. With a couple of tracks that sounded very much like a callback to Indigo Girls’ classic self-titled disc, it was a record with an almost timeless sound.

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