One of the might-have-beens of the mid-'90s Britpop explosion, Marion made for a slightly inconsistent but often quite striking
band. Based out of Manchester, the five-piece took declared inspiration from earlier musical giants of the city such as Joy Division
and the Smiths (in the case of the latter, to the extent where they recruited that band's old manager Joe Moss to handle their
affairs). Strong hints of older rock & roll crept in as well, from the Beatles to the Buzzcocks, making for a sometimes captivating
blend topped off by frontman Jaime Harding's passionate (almost to a fault) singing. Harding and guitarists Phil Cunningham and
Tony Grantham had known each other since they were teenagers, but Marion as a "proper" group only began in 1993.
