Starting life as a gig night in Leeds, On The Bone now boasts a label division as well and has to date released two compilations showcasing what West Yorkshire has to offer in the music stakes and also featuring some friends from further afield.

Whilst both Compilation One and Two vary somewhat in quality (of recording as well as ability) it is always a pleasure to see that the independent spirit is being kept alive somewhere, by someone and that you don’t have to be in London to be part of it.

Compilation One features the effective indie rock of Mother Vulpine and The Scaramanga Six alongside the folk cohort of Benjamin Wetherill and Fran Rodgers. It should be noted that these collections are definitely tied together by geography rather than genre. Smokers Die Young emulate rather shakily British Sea Power, whilst This Et Al shine through.

A feature of both albums is a leaning towards lengthy instrumentals which do appeal to some listeners, but it’s hard to avoid thinking that either a) the band can’t be bothered to write lyrics or b) the band can’t write lyrics. Furthermore, before being inducted into the On The Bone Club it seems bands have to attend an inventive name workshop - ‘Spinach’ by Quack Quack anyone?!

Moving on to Compilation Two and an appearance from The Twilight Sad (arguably more Scottish than The Proclaimers) as well as other more recognisable names in the shape of Napoleon IIIrd and Grammatics.

Other names to note are Monty Casino, who could come from the Angular stable, and Pulled Apart By Horses with a sense

of urgency about them akin to Pixies.

In the vein of Compilation One, the folk cohort pop up again. Similarly it loses the dynamic with the inclusion of the instrumentals and goes completely off the rails with the drum’n’bass lite of I Concur's ‘Lucky Jack (Bracken Remix), which may have a home on a compilation somewhere, but it's not this one.

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Review by Holly Wild
www.onthebonerecords.com / www.myspace.com/leedsonthebone