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.
This visit to the Real Gone Singles Bar sees the return of three familiar names, but their current tunes find the musicians sounding as good as ever. There’s always a pleasure in watching artists you admire grow, but in the case of singer songwriter Roisin McCarney, the Scottish singer shares one of her most mature sounding tracks to date. In terms of newer names, you’ll find a genre-bending act from Margate sharing an absolute banger, a couple of underground singer-songwriters, and even a perfectly pitched piece of early 60s inspired, guitar laden pop from Australia. As always, it’s been an absolute pleasure to pick the best singles for sharing, and we hope you find something new to enjoy.
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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.
It’s 9pm on a Friday night. Terrorvision have just arrived on stage in the small Ballroom at the Dreamland venue. Surprisingly, for a name band pitching themselves at a middle aged audience, many of whom in the local area are affluent and often up for a night out, it isn’t a sell out. The venue is approximately half full, bringing back memories of Carter USM man Jim Bob’s undersold show in the same location in April 2024.
Unlike Jim, though, the lads aren’t sulking about it. Halfway through opening number ‘Discoteque Wreck’ – which attacks with immediacy, driven by a chunky guitar and a bass heavy sound – Tony Wright appears to be thrilled to be on stage. Sporting a very retro, blue-grey checked suit which looks a bit like one of Noddy Holder’s cast offs, he’s centre stage with a beaming grin, dancing manically. The sound is rough, but the energy coming from the band and into the audience is utterly immense. It’s obvious that this is the perfect opener for this fairly intimate show, and midway through the second number, it’s also clear that Wright’s dance wasn’t actually contrived to illustrate the narrative behind the previous song. He’s still lurching about like a man possessed, while the rest of Terrorvision crank out some hard edged riffs.
It’s just a couple of weeks until Christmas. The days may be short, and the weather less than pleasant, but Margate is still very busy. Thankfully, the seafront has stopped being harassed by the tail end of the storm that has battered the west coast, but things feel less than calm and decidedly soggy. The weather hasn’t stopped most of the locals coming to Dreamland for a huge night out, however, and the Travis show is a sell out. The upstairs room – the Hall By The Sea – has seen many busy nights in the past, but few have felt as absolutely rammed as tonight’s gig. It feels as if the entire town has shown up to support the band, and that’s not entirely surprising since this is supposedly the popular Scottish band’s first ever visit to the seaside resort.