Come On, Come In: Big Hits From The Real Gone Singles Bar, Year One

In May 2023, Real Gone ran a column highlighting some of the best digital singles that had come our way. We’d always shied away from singles, preferring instead to concentrate on detailed album and EP reviews, but too much good music was falling by the wayside. The column was an experiment, of sorts: it was a departure from what had gone before, but still came with the same enthusiasm. Would people embrace this new feature? Would “quick takes” weaken the Real Gone brand?

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Listen: A Phone Call From Oliver Reed (A Real Gone Sampler 2023)

The year end “sampler” has long been one of our year end traditions at Real Gone. Although in recent years, the sampler has taken the form of an online stream as opposed to a traditional download, we’ve continued to receive good feedback about the annual project, and still managed to introduce people to things they missed throughout the previous twelve months.

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The Real Gone End of Year Round-Up 2023

We seem to say it every December, but this year has gone so quickly. We’ve fit a lot into twelve months, of course. Over the last twelve months, Real Gone has picked up a truckload of new followers and regular visitors; we’ve discovered new bands, reconnected with a couple of familiar faces, and given more column inches to old favourites.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #31: FESTIVE EDITION

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore the various individual tracks and mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we offer a festive selection – a collection of tunes with a Christmas theme, ranging from the traditional to the bespoke. Some of the material is brand new; some re-works the familiar in a new way, but when heard together, we hope these tunes entertain, and will prop up any great alternative playlist!

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THE MATINEE – Change Of Scene

The Matinee’s 2017 album ‘Dancing On Your Grave’ was a great record. Its eleven songs bounced between upbeat pop rock tunes, retro rockers and music with an obvious nod to Americana, but felt like a really cohesive listen. Between some great chorus hooks, a heartfelt vocal and some fine guitar work, it showed off a mature sounding band whose songs could’ve existed at any point between the 90s and the present.

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