Towards the end of 2025, Welsh indie band Martyrs released the ‘Halloween Dream’ EP, a release that incorporated bits of 70s rock, light psychedelia and a host of drum loops that conveyed more of an influence from electronica. This created a cornucopia of sound that appeared to never settle, and in that respect – and especially with the presence of a lax vocal – the material showed influence from fellow Welsh band Super Furry Animals. If that somehow got missed on the band’s self-penned numbers, a trippy cover of ‘The Man Don’t Give A Fuck’ was on hand to make it very clear. Although short, ‘Halloween Dream’ was a release that more than suggested Martyrs would share more great music in the future.
Tag Archives: wales
HOUSE OF HOSTS – Reckoning EP
At the end of 2023, House of Hosts’ debut single ‘Oblivion’ introduced a band who clearly knew their way around a riff. Right from the off, it showcased a band who could potentially crush their audience with relative ease. A few of the vocals were perhaps a little too gruff to fit with the alternative metal backdrop, but it presented something with a great potential. Over the course of a couple more singles, the rough edges had been ironed out a little, but by often sharing a cleaner vocal over a heavy sound, this Welsh band marked themselves out as a rising talent and an act that might build a committed following rather quickly.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #94
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, we’ve got some enormous sounding post rock/metal from a still new act, an interesting excursion into the alternative end of the new age spectrum, a couple of superb singer songwriters…and more. The weight of submissions to the SB since January has been vast, so it’s been an even harder job picking tracks than ever before, but we hope you love what you hear…
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Listen: Revolution Rabbit Deluxe share angry new single ‘Tim Gurner Says’
Revolution Rabbit Deluxe’s 2023 album ‘Control Freaks’ mixed rock, pop and politics in such a way it was impossible to ignore the influence of the younger Nicky Wire and Richey James Edwards. With sloganeering messages and a very 90s sound, tracks like ‘G7 Countdown’ blended the vitriol of the early Manics with the busy rhythms of the baggy movement; ‘Head In The Sand’ celebrated self-ignorance against a hefty indie rock groove, and – best of all – ‘Stuck On Stupid’ attacked the world with a Miles Hunt-ish sneer and a post-punk sound, pumping the heart of one of the band’s most pointed tracks to date.
BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD – Skinwalker
On their Mercury Prize winning debut album ‘Backhand Deals’, Welsh band Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard were unafraid to wear a very retro heart on their sleeve. The bulk of its tunes took a very melodic approach and fused a great set of pop and rock influences on a record that occasionally sounded like a 90s band who’d discovered a bunch of old vinyl LPs from the 70s in their parents’ loft. Instantly familiar but always entertaining, it was the kind of guitar driven, melodic pop/rock collection that seemed destined to rival The Feeling’s brilliant ‘Twelve Stops Then Home’.
Then, somewhere between the promotion for that record and the recording of their follow up ‘Skinwalker’, they had a drastic rethink.