THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #135 (FESTIVE EDITION)

For this visit to the Singles Bar, everything has taken on a distinctly festive theme. We bring you eight Xmas recordings from different artists and genres – ranging from the well known to the genuinely cult – which hopefully will enrich your holiday time playlists for years to come. A much loved rock band offer a new cover tune; there’s a brilliantly ugly electronica themed Elvis tribute, and ‘Santa Baby’ as you’ve probably never heard it before. There’s also a touch of Americana, some great pop, and a nod to the mighty Slade along the way. We hope there’s something here for everyone who loves Christmas music… Pour yourself another eggnog and dive in!

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GRAHAM BONNET BAND – Lost In Hollywood Again

In 2024, Graham Bonnet and his band took to the stage at the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles. On this night, the intimate venue saw the veteran performer plough through a sixteen song set that celebrated many of the highlights of his long career.

The audio from the Graham Bonnet Band’s 2025 live release ‘Lost In Hollywood Again’ might not sound quite as vital as 2017’s unexpected Alcatrazz reunion in Japan (released for posterity on ‘Parole Denied’), but it’s clear that Bonnet – a man well into his seventies at the time of this show – still loves what he does, and is more than capable of summoning a huge amount of volume at a time of life when some of his peers sound like a shadow of their former selves.

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ROBIN McAULEY – Soulbound

A strong case could be made for Robin McAuley’s second solo album – 2021’s ‘Standing On The Edge’ – being one of the finest of the journeyman vocalist’s career. It seemed to hit a sweet spot in terms of melodies, and although the singer’s brand of melodic rock was hardly in fashion at the time of release, his love for the style appeared unwavering. The album’s strong musicianship and big choruses rivalled his earlier associations with the legendary Michael Schenker, and the record’s AOR slant made it a great fit alongside some of their other Frontiers Records releases from that time. Taking influence from Black Swan’s second album ‘Generation Mind’, 2023’s ‘Alive’ took a slightly harder turn musically, but still found Robin in great voice and an enthused mood.

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Watch: The Big Deal share new video for ‘Fairy of White’

Today sees the release of The Big Deal’s second album, ‘Electrified’. It’s a record that shows none of the signs of being a “difficult” follow up to an excellent debut, partly because the Serbian rockers have stuck to a familiar blueprint. The mix of bombast, melody, melodic metal crunch and soaring hooks works just as well for them the second time around.

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THE BIG DEAL – Electrified

Serbian band The Big Deal released a very confident debut in 2022’s ‘First Bite’. Although their music wasn’t particularly original, the album’s best tracks showcased talented musicians, capable of sharing a huge sound, and whose brand of melodic rock and metal consistently hit the mark with strong callbacks to Pretty Maids and other Euro fare.

Following the album’s release, guitarist Srdjan Brankovic made a great contribution to Ronnie Romero’s ‘Raised On Radio’, but then seemed to disappear. Considering he guested on a number of albums up to this point, his relative quietness came as a surprise, but his fans will certainly welcome his return here, and find plenty to enjoy within his work on this second release from The Big Deal. Much like before, the best material places Brankovic’s guitar playing rather highly in the end mix, but there’s very much the feeling that this is a genuine band project, rather than merely just being the Srdjan show with a few in-house hired hands.

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