Tag Archives: gong

VARIOUS ARTISTS – So High I’ve Been: A European Rock Anthology 1967-1973

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When it comes to compilations, the UK rock scene of the late 1960s/early 1970s has been covered extensively – to the point of absolute overkill. It’s easy to feel that this is a part of musical history that no longer needs revisiting, just as many “new” articles on The Beatles, the Stones and Queen now border on being digital landfill. With that in mind, it’s always far more interesting when attentions are turned to overseas acts. Cherry Red’s rather excellent set ‘Living On The Hill’ promised “a Danish underground trip” upon its release in 2020 and subsequently did exactly what it said on the tin, giving the keener rock fan three discs’ worth of genuinely unfamiliar sounds from the North, with Blast Furnace being the compilation’s nearest to a “known” name.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #130

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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, we bring you a fantastic number from a British alt-folk band, the return of some cosmic, psychy legends, a great piece of synth based material, some well crafted pop punk…and more. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: The Utopia Strong – Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate, Kent 18/10/2025

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It’s approximately 8:45 on a Saturday night in Ramsgate. A crowd are gathered outside of the Music Hall, and in the venue’s lobby area, various people are milling around in a frighteningly compact space. Even before getting to the gig area, there’s a feeling that this is one of the Music Hall’s busiest nights.

Everyone’s out to see The Utopia Strong – a trio made up of Kavus Torabi (Knifeworld/Gong/Cardiacs), Michael York (Current 93) and 80s snooker legend Steve Davis – who’ve just released a new album. ‘Doperider’ has been well received by those occupying the more “cult” corners of the online press, and those who’ve seen the band before know how special the live experience can be, so this is a night that has a lot riding on it even before the musicians take the stage.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Round And Round: Progressive Sounds Of 1974

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1973 was something of a banner year for progressive rock. That year, Pink Floyd released their billion selling ‘Dark Side of The Moon’; Genesis released a career best with ‘Selling England By The Pound’; a double whammy from Gong – ‘Flying Teapot’ and ‘Angels Egg’ – cemented their place in the psych-prog underground; both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer released albums that would go on to become fan favourites, and Mike Oldfield became an instant national treasure with his ‘Tubular Bells’, despite his Piltdown Man scaring the shite out of a generation of small children.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: THE STEVE HILLAGE BAND – Concorde 2, Brighton, East Sussex 2/4/2023

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Picture the scene: it’s a very cold afternoon in Kent, the rain is absolutely lashing down, and a crowd covered in pac-a-macs has assembled in front of the Prog Stage at the first ever Ramblin’ Man Fair. Weird prog/fusion ensemble Knifeworld have already started to create a buzz online and for some hardened proggers, the band’s early set time has been reason enough to leave their hotel rooms before lunch and brave the near apocalyptic weather.

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