8/10
It was an initiative set up by indie fan Marc Rossiter (he of the Brits & Pieces) with a few objectives; to showcase the UK’s still flourishing independent music scene, to revitalise compilation albums as a whole and, most nobly, to raise money for the unsigned bands featured on the album.
With patronage from Robert Carlyle, Steve Lamacq, Clint Boon and Peter Doherty amongst countless others, and available from Rough Trade stores, Volume One hit number 54 on the Official Compilation Chart.
When compiling the first album, Rossiter simply floated the idea on Twitter and awaited responses. It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that he was swamped with requests (and probably has been since), certainly more than could fit on one album, and so, some five months on, we have the sequel.