Formed just before almost the entire world went into a pandemic related lockdown, Orchid Symmetry have released a steady stream of digital singles and a couple of EPs since 2020. The best of the singles, 2022’s ‘Monsters and Demons’ eschewed most of the band’s heavier tendencies in favour of an ominous sounding riff that reworked alternative sounds from the 60s for a contemporary hard rock crowd. Parts of the melody sounded if they were distantly related to ‘House of The Rising Sun’, whilst other elements conveyed the all round moodiness of The Doors and the strange paranoia at the heart of Love’s ‘Forever Changes’. Despite taking various older elements and throwing them into a blender, a very natural vocal and occasionally abrasive guitar tone provided a more contemporary sound and also a very strong link with prior Orchid Symmetry tunes.
Tag Archives: rock
THE ROCKERATI – Black Book EP
During the first half of 2025, The Rockerati made their mark on the rock underground with the help of two excellent singles. The first, ‘Analogue Again’ set a great pub rock sound in place; loaded with solid riffs and a melodic edge that called back to the likes of Rockpile, it showed how the Brighton based act valued great influences more than they valued the notion of perceived “coolness”. That school of thought went into overdrive when the band dropped a bunch of Quo-esque riffs into the great ‘Big Dog’; with a bigger sound in place, the track demonstrated how tough The Rockerati could sound with an increase of both power and volume, and how solid playing will often trump originality.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #110
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. In this rather mixed bag, you’ll find old school balladry with an obvious love for Roy Orbison, some great roots rock from the UK, a noisy and slightly avantgarde comeback track, all sitting alongside something clearly inspired by the mighty Mercury Rev. With a folky tune, a solid slab of metal and a number with a light prog influence also present, we hope there’s something here for almost everyone.
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Real Gone Presents: A Boston Round-Up, June 2025
Over the previous couple of months, the submissions for the popular Real Gone Singles Bar have been more than plentiful. It’s actually got to the point where we’re getting so much good stuff, it’s been almost impossible to keep on top of it all. When compiling a recent column, it came to our attention that we’d had a huge amount of submissions from Boston based bands. Since we were massive fans of albums produced by Paul Q. Kolderie & Sean Slade at Fort Apache back in the 90s and, in more recent times, our site has received regular support from a few Boston based bands, PR companies, labels – including the sadly missed Red On Red Records – it seemed to make sense to take some of these great tracks and highlight them in a feature of their own. The Singles Bar will continue as normal, of course…but this bunch of tracks, shared as a selection in its own right, features some great material. Please join us in giving a hearty shout out to a great city with a thriving music scene… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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BAD VALENTINES – Memory Tattoos EP
It takes all of two bars of Bad Valentines’ ‘Last Days In The Sun’ to advertise the trashier end of this Finnish band’s rather varied rock sound, when a high toned guitar wails against a punchy backdrop. The immediate effect is like discovering a more melodic deep cut from earlier Scandinavian bands like Gluecifer, or a more pop-centic Hellacopters. Their rock ‘n’ roll chops shine even more brightly when a rousing lead guitar break rears up midway, but its when reaching for more melodic climes that this EP’s opening track really comes into its own. A punchy verse is offset by a hugely melodic and really confident vocal courtesy of scene new-comer Hon, and although she sounds great on the verse sharing more of a pop-rock tone than the music immediately suggested, it’s when hitting a harmony driven chorus she really begins to impress. It’s fairly simple with the band using an ascending melody to reach a one line hook, but the results are as catchy as hell. In terms of making a good first impression, this introduces Bad Valentines in the best possible way. It’s a genuinely strong number.