Alongside like minded compilers Across The Pennines, On The Bone provide another trans-border barometer of noteworthy alternative music. Again a lot of the bands have been covered on Manchester Music, so you need to check elsewhere on our site for more thorough judgements on The Twilight Sad, Napoleon iiird, The Lodger, Fran Rodgers, Bilge Pump, That Fucking Tank (with the fantastically entitled “Stephen Hawkwind”), I Concur, Benjamin Wetherill and the erratic Grammatics.

This Et Al have begun to sound more and more like Forward Russia and they don’t do a bad job, but after getting some nurturing local reviews they seem to have maybe overstepped their abilities – hence they’re still unsigned – hopefully this second wind will carry them further. Paul Marshall provides some breezy acoustica and the blistering rattles of Monty Casino are worthy of note. Watch out for Pulled Apart By Horses, who survive on the very edges of yelping alt-indie rock and the instrumental genius of Two Minute Noodle who sound like a musical cinema interlude that’s been fucked up.

There’s a wide spread of music but for anyone genuinely interested in the Northern Music Scene, this is an absolute must.

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