Nine Black Alps are a post-grunge/indie rock quartet from Manchester, England, named after a line in a Sylvia Plath poem and fronted by Sam Forrest.From their inception in late 2003, the band's energetic live performances earned them a hardcore fanbase after playing for only a few months on the Manchester music scene.

In 2004 the band were signed to Island records and spent the year touring the UK and recording their first studio album with producer Rob Schnapf in Los Angeles. In 2005 Nine Black Alps toured the UK extensively, promoting the release of their debut album, Everything Is on 13th June 2005.

Their first U.S. single was Cosmopolitan; their album Everything Is was released in America on February 28, 2006.The band's second album, again recorded in LA with producer Dave Sardy Love/Hate, was released on 29 October 2007 and heralded a split with Island Records shortly thereafter.

However, Nine Black Alps went on to self-finance and record their third full-length album with producer Dave Eringa, entitled 'Locked Out from the Inside'. Only available as a download from the band's own website - http://www.

nineblackalps.com, the album was a return to the louder, heavier sounds of the first record.Nine Black Alps, after a hiatus of almost 2 years, have been back in the studio as a 3-piece recording tracks for a fourth album, with a possible release in 2012.