NME Award Winners 1994-2018 (Part One)

Posted on 30/08/2018 by rollo

The final step we need to take with the NME Awards is to summarise all the winners in one single, easy-to-digest place. So, continuing with the part one of two-part NME Poll Winners 1952-1992, let’s do that!

Best and Worst Single, Video and Album Categories

Here are all the winners for specific singles, videos, albums, films, and books!

Best Single / Track

1994 – Radiohead – Creep
1995 – Oasis – Live Forever (Best Single), Blur – Girls and Boys (NME Single of the Year)
1996 – Oasis – Wonderwall (Best Single), Black Grape – Reverend Black Grape (NME Single of the Year)
1997 – Manic Street Preachers – A Design for Life (Best Single), Underworld – Born Slippy (NME Single of the Year)
1998 – The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony
1999 – Manic Street Preachers – If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
2000 – Blur – Tender (Best Single), Aphex Twin – Windowlicker (NME Single of the Year)
2001 – Coldplay – Yellow
2002 – Ash – Burn Baby Burn
2003 – The Vines – Get Free (Best Single), Doves – There Goes the Fear (NME Single of the Year)
2004 – The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
2005 – Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
2006 – Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
2007 – The View – Wasted Little DJs
2008 – Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent
2009 – MGMT – Time to Pretend
2010 – The Big Pink – Dominos
2011 – Foals – Spanish Sahara
2012 – Florence + the Machine – Shake it Out
2013 – Foals – Inhaler
2014 – Disclosure – White Noise
2015 – Jamie T – Zombie
2016 – Wolf Alice – Giant Peach
2017 – Christine and the Queens – Tilted
2018 – Charli XCX – Boys

Best Single Ever

2000 – Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

Best Dance Single / Dancefloor filler / Anthem

1998 – The Prodigy – Smack My Bitch Up
1999 – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank
2008 – The Wombats – Let’s Dance to Joy Division
2009 – Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris – Dance Wiv Me
2010 – La Roux – In for the Kill (Skream Remix)
2011 – Professor Green – Jungle
2012 – Katy B – Broken Record
2013 – Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch – Sweet Nothing
2015 – Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX – Fancy

Worst Single

1994 – Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)
1995 – Whigfield – Saturday Night
1996 – Robson Green and Jerome Flynn – I Believe
1997 – Spice Girls – Wannabe
1998 – Aqua – Barbie Girl
1999 – Billie Piper – Because We Want To
2000 – The Vengaboys – We’re Going to Ibiza
2003 – Robbie Williams – Feel
2004 – Fast Food Rockers – Fast Food Song

Best Music Video

1995 – Blur – Parklife
1996 – Pulp – Common People
1997 – The Prodigy – Firestarter
1998 – The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony
1999 – Manic Street Preachers – If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
2000 – Blur – Coffee and TV
2002 – Radiohead – Pyramid Song
2003 – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll (Punk Song)
2004 – Radiohead – There There
2005 – Green Day – American Idiot
2006 – Oasis – The Importance of Being Idle
2007 – The Killers – Bones
2008 – Arctic Monkeys – Teddy Picker
2009 – The Last Shadow Puppets – My Mistakes Were Made for You
2010 – Biffy Clyro – The Captain
2011 – My Chemical Romance – Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
2012 – Hurts – Sunday
2013 – Arctic Monkeys – R U Mine?
2014 – Eagulls – Nerve Endings
2015 – Jamie T – Zombie
2016 – Slaves – Cheer Up London
2017 – Slaves – Consume or Be Consumed
2018 – The Big Moon – Sucker

Best Album / LP

1994 – The Boo Radleys – Giant Steps
1995 – Blur – Parklife (Best Album), Oasis – Definitely Maybe (NME Album of the Year)
1996 – Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (Best Album), Tricky – Maxinquaye (NME Album of the Year)
1997 – Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go (Best Album), Beck – Odelay (NME Album of the Year)
1998 – Radiohead – OK Computer
1999 – Manic Street Preachers – This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours
2000 – The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin (Best Album and NME Album of the Year)
2001 – Primal Scream – XTRMNTR
2002 – The Strokes – This is It
2003 – Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head (Best Album and NME Album of the Year)
2004 – Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
2005 – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
2006 – Kaiser Chiefs – Employment
2007 – Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
2008 – Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future
2009 – Kings of Leon – Only by the Night
2010 – Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
2011 – Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
2012 – The Horrors – Skying
2013 – The Maccabees – Given to the Wild
2014 – Arctic Monkeys – AM
2015 – Kasabian – 48:13
2016 – Foals – What Went Down
2017 – Bastille – Wild World
2018 – J Hus – Common Sense

Best Album Ever

2000 – The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses

Worst Album

2003 – Robbie Williams – Escapology
2005 – Insane Clown Posse – Carnival of Carnage
2006 – James Blunt – Back to Bedlam
2007 – Robbie Williams – Rudebox
2008 – Britney Spears – Blackout
2009 – Jonas Brothers – A Little Bit Longer
2010 – Jonas Brothers – Lines, Vines, and Trying Times
2011 – Justin Bieber – My World
2012 – Justin Bieber – Under the Mistletoe

Best Album Artwork

2004 – Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
2008 – The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2009 – Muse – HAARP
2010 – Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
2011 – Klaxons – Surfing the Void
2012 – Friendly Fires – Pala

Best Reissue

2012 – The Smiths – The Complete Re-issues
2013 – Blur – 21
2014 – The Clash – Sound System
2015 – Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible
2016 – David Bowie – Five Years (1969-1973)
2017 – Oasis – Be Here Now
2018 – Radiohead – OK NOT OK

Best DVD / Best Music DVD / Best Music Film

2005 – Oasis – Definitely Maybe
2006 – Various Artists – Live 8
2007 – Arctic Monkeys – Scrummy Man
2008 – Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York
2009 – Arctic Monkeys – Live at the Apollo
2010 – The Mighty Boosh Live – Future Sailors Tour
2012 – Foo Fighters – Back and Forth
2013 – The Rolling Stones – Crossfire Hurricane
2014 – The Stone Roses – Made of Stone
2015 – Pulp – A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets
2016 – Blur – New World Towers
2017 – Oasis – Supersonic
2018 – Lady Gaga – Five Foot Two

Best Mixtape

2018 – Avelino – No Bullshit

Best Book

2011 – John Lydon – Mr. Rotten’s Scrapbook
2012 – Noel Fielding – The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton
2013 – Mike Skinner – The Story of the Streets
2014 – Morrissey – Autobiography
2015 – Viv Albertine – Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys
2016 – Patti Smith – M Train
2017 – Johnny Marr – Set the Boy Free
2018 – Wiley – Eskiboy

Media Categories

The group of media awards, for radio, TV, films, and venues.

Best Radio Show

1994 – John Peel (BBC Radio 1)
1996-1997 – The Evening Session (BBC Radio 1)
1998-1999 – Mark and Lard (BBC Radio 1)
2000-2002 – The Evening Session (BBC Radio 1)
2003 – The Evening Session / Lamacq Live (BBC Radio 1)
2005-2008 – Zane Lowe (BBC Radio 1)

Best TV Show

1995 – Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge
1996-1998 – Shooting Stars
1999 – South Park
2000 – The Royle Family
2001 – The League of Gentlemen
2002 – The Office
2003 – The Osbournes
2004 – The Office
2005 – Little Britain
2006 – Gonzo
2007-2009 – The Mighty Boosh
2010 – The Inbetweeners
2011 – Skins
2012-2013 – Fresh Meat
2014 – Breaking Bad
2015 – Game of Thrones
2016 – This is England ’90
2017 – Fleabag
2018 – Stranger Things

Worst TV Show

2009 – Big Brother

Best Film

1994 – Reservoir Dogs
1995 – Pulp Fiction
1996 – The Usual Suspects
1997 – Trainspotting
1998 – The Full Monty
1999 – Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
2000 – The Blair Witch Project
2001 – Gladiator
2002 – Moulin Rouge
2004 – The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King
2005 – Shaun of the Dead
2006 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest
2008 – Control
2010 – Inglourious Basterds
2011 – Inception
2012 – Submarine
2013 – The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey
2015 – Northern Soul
2016 – Beasts of No Nation
2017 – My Scientology Movie
2018 – Baby Driver

Best Website

2000 – NME
2003 – NME
2004 – NME
2005 – NME
2006 – NME
2007 – YouTube
2008 – Facebook
2009 – YouTube
2010 – Muse

Best Band Blog / Twitter / Social Media

2008 – The Modern Age (Best Music Blog), Radiohead (Best Band Blog)
2009 – Noel Gallagher / Oasis
2010 – Radiohead
2011 – Hayley Williams
2012 – Lady Gaga
2013 – Alana Haim
2014 – Alana Haim
2015 – Liam Gallagher

People Categories

Continuing the odd and eclectic categories from 1954-1992, the NME Awards still give slightly odd awards out to individuals.

Genius/HERO of the Year

2000 – Ali G
2001 – Liam Gallagher
2003 – Ozzy Osbourne
2004 – Pete Doherty
2005 – John Peel
2006 – Bob Geldof
2007 – Gerard Way
2008 – Pete Doherty
2009 – Barack Obama
2010 – Rage Against the Machine
2011 – Lady Gaga
2012 – Matt Bellamy
2013 – Barack Obama
2014-2015 – Alex Turner
2016 – Dave Grohl
2017 – Beyoncé
2018 – Ariana Grande

Bastard/Git/Arse/Dickhead/Waster/Villain of the Year

1994 – John Major
1996 – Damon Albarn
1997-1999 – Liam Gallagher
2000, 2001, 2003 – Robbie Williams
2004 – George W. Bush, (Villain of the Year), Pete Doherty (Waster of the Year)
2005-2009 – George W. Bush
2010 – Kanye West
2011 – David Cameron
2012 – Justin Bieber
2013-2014 – Harry Styles
2015 – Nigel Farage
2016 – Donald Trump
2017 – Nigel Farage
2018 – Piers Morgan

Best Dressed / Most Stylish

1996 – Jarvis Cocker
2003 – The Hives
2005 – Brandon Flowers
2006 – Ricky Wilson
2007 – Faris Rotter
2008 – Noel Fielding
2009 – Alexa Chung
2010 – Lady Gaga
2011 – Brandon Flowers

Worst Dressed / Least Stylish

1996 – Jarvis Cocker
1997 – Liam Gallagher
2003 – Christina Aguilera
2005 – Jonathan Ross
2006 – Justin Hawkins
2007 – Jonathan Ross
2008-2009 – Amy Winehouse
2010 – Lady Gaga
2011 – Justin Bieber

Best Comedian

1995-1996 – Steve Coogan

Political and Real World Categories

Continuing some of the odder categories from the earlier NME Polls. For clarity, I’ve separated the “live” events from the other “musical” events, although I think the award category was sometimes the same.

Musical Moment / Event of the Year

1996 – Skinner, Baddiel and The Lightning Seeds – Three Lions
2012 – The Stone Roses reunite
2013 – Olympics opening ceremony
2014 – Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn come together for Teenage Cancer Trust
2015 – Jamie T’s comeback
2016 – The Libertines’ secret Glastonbury set
2017 – Coldplay’s Viola Beach tribute at Glastonbury
2018 – One Love Manchester

Greatest Musical Event Ever

2000 – Woodstock

Non-Musical Event of the Year

1994 – Unity March
1995 – Glastonbury Festival
1996 – French Nuclear Testing

Bummer / Disappointment

1995 – Kurt Cobain’s Suicide
1997 – The Stone Roses breaking up

Hype of the Year

1994 – Jurassic Park

Object of Desire / Most Desirable / Hottest / Sexiest Woman

1994 – Björk (Object of Desire)
1995 – Kylie Minogue (Object of Desire)
1997 – Louise (Most Desirable Human Being)
1998 – Louise (Most Desirable Human Being)
1999 – Natalie Imbruglia (Most Desirable Human Being)
2003 – Avril Lavigne
2004 – Brody Dalle
2005 – Barbara Knox
2006 – Madonna
2007 – Kate Moss
2008 – Kylie Minogue
2009 – Hayley Williams
2010 – Karen O
2011 – Alison Mosshart
2012 – Hayley Williams
2013 – Amy Lee

Most Desirable / Hottest / Sexiest Man

1996 – Liam Gallagher (Most Desirable Human Being)
2003 – Chris Martin
2004 – Har Mar Superstar
2005 – Brandon Flowers
2006 – Pete Doherty
2007 – Matt Bellamy
2008 – Noel Fielding
2009-2011 – Matt Bellamy
2012 – Jared Leto
2013 – Matt Bellamy

Best Haircut

2003 – Liam Gallagher
2004 – Caleb Followill

Worst Haircut

2003 – Jack Osbourne

Join us again next week, when we’ll finish this list off!

NME Awards – 2015-2017

Posted on 16/08/2018 by rollo

Finally, by the current decade, NME seemed to have regained their taste. Several decades after being obsessed with guitars and the lower reaches of the charts, they finally even decided to associate themselves with acts such as Pet Shop Boys. Let’s complete our journey through the history of their awards, with the last few years.

NME Awards 2015

Godlike Genius Award: Suede
Best British Band: Kasabian. Also nominated: Alt-J, Arctic Monkeys, Chvrches, Royal Blood, The Libertines
Best Album: Kasabian, for 48:13
Also nominated: Jamie T, for Carry On The Grudge, La Roux, for Trouble In Paradise, Royal Blood, for Royal Blood, Run The Jewels, for Run The Jewels 2, St Vincent, for St Vincent
Best International Band: Foo Fighters. Also nominated: Arcade Fire, Haim, Interpol, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tame Impala
Best Live Band: Royal Blood. Also nominated: Arctic Monkeys, Fat White Family, Foo Fighters, Kasabian, The Libertines
Best New Band: Royal Blood. Also nominated: Circa Waves, FKA Twigs, Jungle, Slaves, Superfood
Best Solo Artist: Jake Bugg. Also nominated: Jack White, Jamie T, La Roux, Lana Del Rey, St Vincent
Best Festival: Glastonbury. Also nominated: Bestival, Isle Of Wight Festival, Latitude, Reading & Leeds, T In The Park
Best Track: Jamie T, for Zombie. Also nominated: Future Islands, for Seasons (Waiting On You), Jungle, for Busy Earnin, Kasabian, for Eez-Eh, Noel Gallagher, for In The Heat Of The Moment, Royal Blood, for Little Monster
Best Video: Jamie T, for Zombie. Also nominated: Fat White Family, for Touch The Leather, FKA Twigs, for Two Weeks, Jungle, for Busy Earnin’, Peace, for Lost On Me, Royal Blood, for Figure It Out
Best Music Film: Pulp, for A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets. Also nominated: 20,000 Days On Earth, Finding Fela, Kasabian, for Summer Solstice, Supermensch: The Legend Of Shep Gordon, The Possibilities Are Endless
Best Film: Northern Soul. Also nominated: Boyhood, Frank, Get On Up, God Help The Girl, The Inbetweeners 2
Best TV Show: Game of Thrones. Also nominated: Girls, Foo Fighters, for Sonic Highways, Peaky Blinders, Sherlock, True Detective
Best Dancefloor Filler: Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, for Fancy. Also nominated: Jamie T, for Zombie, Kasabian, for Eez-Eh, Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars, for Uptown Funk, Metronomy, for Love Letters, SBTRKT feat. Ezra Koenig, for New Dorp. New York
Worst Band: 5 Seconds of Summer. Also nominated: , Bastille, Blink 182, One Direction, The 1975, U2
Villain of the Year: Nigel Farage. Also nominated: Bono, David Cameron, Harry Styles, Russell Brand, Taylor Swift
Hero of the Year: Alex Turner. Also nominated: Dave Grohl, Kate Bush, Noel Gallagher, Russell Brand, Taylor Swift
Music Moment of the Year: Jamie T‘s comeback. Also nominated: Alex Turner’s Brit Awards speech, Kasabian headline Glastonbury, Kate Bush returns, The Libertines reunite, Nirvana reunite at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Best Fan Community: Muse. Also nominated: Jamie T, Kasabian, La Roux, Peace, Royal Blood
Small Festival of the Year: Liverpool Psych Fest. Also nominated: End Of The Road, Festival No. 6, Field Day, The Great Escape, Tramlines
Book of the Year: Viv Albertine, for Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys
Also nominated: Bernard Sumner, for Chapter And Verse, Ian Curtis, Deborah Curtis and Jon Savage, for So This Is Permanence, Jesse Frohman, for Kurt Cobain: The Last Session, John Lydon, for Anger Is An Energy: My Life Uncensored, Steve Hanley, for The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall
Reissue of the Year: Manic Street Preachers, for The Holy Bible. Also nominated: Led Zeppelin, for Led Zeppelin II, Oasis, for Definitely Maybe, Pixies, for Doolittle, Public Enemy, for It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Smashing Pumpkins, for Adore
Best Band Social Media: Liam Gallagher‘s Twitter. Also nominated: Questlove’s Twitter, Alana Haim’s Twitter, Albert Hammond Jr’s Twitter, Fat White Family’s Facebook, Slaves’ Facebook

NME Awards 2016

Godlike Genius Award: Coldplay
Best British Band: The Maccabees. Also nominated: The Libertines, Foals, Wolf Alice, The 1975, Catfish and the Bottlemen
Best International Band: Run the Jewels. Also nominated: Tame Impala, Foo Fighters, The Strokes, The Killers, Alabama Shakes
Best New Artist: Rat Boy. Also nominated: Hinds, Halsey, Yak, Låpsley, Formation
Best British Solo Artist: Charli XCX. Also nominated: Adele, Noel Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch, Skepta
Best International Solo Artist: Taylor Swift. Also nominated: Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Courtney Barnett, Kanye West, Grimes
Best Live Band: Wolf Alice. Also nominated: The Maccabees, The Libertines, Foals, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Royal Blood
Best Album: Foals, for What Went Down. Also nominated: Wolf Alice, for My Love Is Cool, The Maccabees, for Marks to Prove it, Kendrick Lamar, for To Pimp a Butterfly, Tame Impala, for Currents, Grimes, for Art Angels
Best Track: Wolf Alice, for Giant Peach. Also nominated: Coldplay, for Adventure of a Lifetime, The Libertines, for Gunga Din, The Weeknd, for I Can’t Feel My Face, Skepta, for Shut Down, Foals, for What Went Down
Best TV Show: This is England ’90. Also nominated: The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story, Peep Show, Gogglebox
Best Film: Beasts of No Nation. Also nominated: Ex Machina, Spectre, Mad Max: Fury Road, Whiplash, Kill Your Friends
Best Music Film: Blur, for New World Towers. Also nominated: Amy, Montage of Heck, Straight Outta Compton, What Happened, Miss Simone, The Reflektor Tapes
Best Music Video: Slaves, for Cheer Up London. Also nominated: Rihanna, for Bitch Better Have My Money, The Libertines, for Heart Of The Matter, Wolf Alice, for You’re a Germ, Blur, for Ong Ong, Tame Impala, for The Less I Know The Better
Best Actor: Idris Elba. Also nominated: Tom Hardy, Eddie Redmayne, Nicholas Hoult, Stephen Graham, Daniel Radcliffe
Best Actress: Vicky McClure. Also nominated: Jennifer Lawrence, Emilia Clarke, Gemma Chan, Amy Schumer, Saoirse Ronan
Best Reissue: David Bowie, for Five Years (1969–1973). Also nominated: A Tribe Called Quest, for People’s Instinctive Travels And the Paths Of Rhythm, The Velvet Underground, for Loaded, Rolling Stones, for Sticky Fingers, Tori Amos, for Under The Pink, Faith No More, for Angel Dust
Best Book: Patti Smith, for M Train. Also nominated: Grace Jones, for I’ll Never Write My Memoirs, Elvis Costello, for Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, Carrie Brownstein, for Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, Professor Green, for Lucky, Tom Jones, for Over The Top And Back
Best Festival: Glastonbury. Also nominated: Reading & Leeds, V Festival, T in the Park, Bestival, Isle of Wight
Best Small Festival: End of the Road. Also nominated: Sŵn, Festival No. 6, Green Man, Liverpool Sound City, Kendall Calling
Music Moment of the Year: The Libertines‘ secret Glastonbury set. Also nominated: The return of Adele, Dave Grohl breaks leg and carries on, Florence + The Machine headlines Glastonbury, Kanye at The Brits, One Direction ‘split’
Best Fan Community: The Libertines. Also nominated: Hurts, Muse, Catfish and the Bottleman, The 1975, Wolf Alice
Worst Band: 5 Seconds of Summer. Also nominated: One Direction, Little Mix, Sleaford Mods, U2, Nickelback
Villain of the Year: Donald Trump. Also nominated: David Cameron, Chris Moyles, Kanye West, George Osbourne, Simon Cowell
Hero of the Year: Dave Grohl. Also nominated: Adele, Jeremy Corbyn, Florence Welch, Kanye West, Taylor Swift
Vlogger of the Year: KSI. Also nominated: Vikkstar123, Charlie McDonnell, Joe Weller, Danisnotonfire, Savannah Brown

NME Awards 2017

Godlike Genius Award: Pet Shop Boys
Best British Band: Biffy Clyro. Also nominated: Wolf Alice, The 1975, Bastille, Years & Years, The Last Shadow Puppets
Best International Band: Metallica. Also nominated: Tame Impala, Kings Of Leon, Green Day, A Tribe Called Quest, Tegan and Sara
Best New Artist: Dua Lipa. Also nominated: Blossoms, Zara Larsson, Sunflower Bean, Christine and The Queens, Anderson .Paak
Best British Female Artist: M.I.A.. Also nominated: Dua Lipa, Adele, Charli XCX, Kate Tempest, PJ Harvey
Best British Male Artist: Skepta. Also nominated: Zayn Malik, Kano, Jamie T, Michael Kiwanuka, Richard Ashcroft
Best International Female Artist: Christine and the Queens. Also nominated: Sia, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Solange, Tove Lo
Best International Male Artist: Frank Ocean. Also nominated: Kanye West, Drake, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper
Best Festival Headliner: Adele. Also nominated: Coldplay, Radiohead, Biffy Clyro, Foals, The Stone Roses
Best Live Band: The 1975. Also nominated: Bastille, Slaves, Bring Me The Horizon, Christine And The Queens, Wolf Alice
Best Album: Bastille, for Wild World. Also nominated: Kanye West, for The Life Of Pablo, Skepta, for Konnichiwa, The 1975, for I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, Radiohead, for A Moon Shaped Pool, Beyoncé, for Lemonade
Best Track: Christine and the Queens, for Tilted. Also nominated: Tove Lo, for Cool Girl, Charli XCX, for After The Afterparty, Skepta, for Man, Bastille, for Good Grief, The 1975, for Somebody Else
Best TV Show: Fleabag. Also nominated: Stranger Things, Game Of Thrones, Black Mirror, Humans, People Just Do Nothing
Best Film: My Scientology Movie. Also nominated: Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad, Everybody Wants Some!!, Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Best Music Film: Oasis, for Supersonic, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, for One More Time With Feeling, Sing Street, Gimme Danger, The Rolling Stones, for Havana Moon, The Beatles, for Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years
Best Music Video: Slaves, for Consume or Be Consumed. Also nominated: Kanye West, for Famous, Beyoncé, for Formation, Radiohead, for Burn The Witch, Rat Boy, for Get Over It, Wolf Alice, for Lisbon
Best Reissue: Oasis, for Be Here Now. Also nominated: R.E.M., for Out Of Time, Pink Floyd, for Meddle, Michael Jackson, for Off The Wall, DJ Shadow, for Endtroducing, Blur, for Leisure
Best Book: Johnny Marr, for Set the Boy Free
Best Festival: Glastonbury. Also nominated: Reading & Leeds, Download, Isle Of Wight, Primavera, V Festival
Best Small Festival: End of the Road. Also nominated: Y Not, Green Man, Festival No. 6, Kendall Calling, Slam Dunk
Music Moment of the Year: Coldplay‘s Viola Beach tribute at Glastonbury. Also nominated: Bring Me The Horizon invade Coldplay’s table at NME Awards 2016, Beyoncé drops Lemonade, Skepta wins Mercury Prize, Pete Doherty plays The Bataclan, The Stone Roses’ first new music in 20 years
Worst Band: 5 Seconds of Summer. Also nominated: The Chainsmokers, Clean Bandit, Honey G, Nickelback, Twenty One Pilots
Villain of the Year: Nigel Farage. Also nominated: Donald Trump, David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Martin Shkreli, Katie Hopkins
Hero of the Year: Beyoncé. Also nominated: David Bowie, Adele, Millie Bobby Brown, Gary Lineker, Liam Gallagher
Outstanding Contribution to Music: Wiley

NME Awards – 2009-2011

Posted on 26/07/2018 by rollo

Between 2009 and 2011, the NME Awards were still clinging onto their rock obsession, but started to have a few interesting nominees.

Shockwaves NME Awards 2009

Hosted at the Brixton Academy on 25 February 2009, by Mark Watson.

Godlike Genius Award: The Cure
Outstanding Contribution to Music: Elbow
Best British Band supported by Shockwaves: Oasis. Also nominated: Bloc Party, The Last Shadow Puppets, Muse, Radiohead
Best International Band supported by 4music: The Killers. Also nominated: Crystal Castles, Kings of Leon, MGMT, Vampire Weekend
Best Solo Artist: Pete Doherty. Also nominated: Ladyhawke, Laura Marling, Lightspeed Champion, Jay-Z
Best Live Band supported by Red Stripe: Muse. Also nominated: The Killers, Kings of Leon, Oasis, Radiohead
Best New Band supported by Bench: MGMT. Also nominated: Glasvegas, Late of the Pier, Vampire Weekend, White Lies
Best Album supported by HMV: Kings of Leon, for Only by the Night. Also nominated: Bloc Party, for Intimacy, Glasvegas, for Glasvegas, The Killers, for Day & Age, Oasis, for Dig Out Your Soul
Best Track supported by NME Radio: MGMT, for Time to Pretend. Also nominated: Kings of Leon, for Sex on Fire, The Last Shadow Puppets, for The Age of the Understatement, The Ting Tings, for That’s Not My Name, Vampire Weekend, for A-Punk
Best Dancefloor Filler: Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris, for Dance Wiv Me. Also nominated: Bloc Party, for Mercury, Crystal Castles, for Courtship Dating, Friendly Fires, for Paris, Late of the Pier, for Bathroom Gurgle
Best Video supported by NME TV: The Last Shadow Puppets, for My Mistakes Were Made For You. Also nominated: Late of the Pier, for Heartbreak, Oasis, for The Shock of the Lightning, Radiohead, for House of Cards, Vampire Weekend, for A-Punk
Best DVD: Arctic Monkeys, for Live at the Apollo. Also nominated: Foo Fighters, for Live at Wembley Stadium, Kaiser Chiefs, for Live at Elland Road, Muse, for HAARP, The Rolling Stones, for Shine a Light
Best Live Event: Glastonbury Festival. Also nominated: Isle of Wight, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, V Festival
Best TV Show: The Mighty Boosh. Also nominated: Gavin and Stacey, The IT Crowd, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Skins
Worst TV Show: Big Brother
Best Film: [not stated]. Nominated: The Dark Knight, Juno, Quantum of Solace, Twilight, Wall-E
Hero of the Year: Barack Obama. Also nominated: Alex Turner, Brandon Flowers, Noel Fielding, Noel Gallagher
Villain of the Year: George W. Bush. Also nominated: Amy Winehouse, Gordon Brown, John McCain, Pete Doherty
Best Dressed: Alexa Chung. Also nominated: Alex Turner, Brandon Flowers, Noel Fielding, Noel Gallagher
Worst Dressed: Amy Winehouse. Also nominated: Brandon Flowers, Johnny Borrell, Katy Perry, Pete Doherty
Best Website: YouTube. Also nominated: Bebo, Facebook, Last FM, MySpace
Best Venue: London Astoria. Also nominated: Brixton Academy, Manchester Apollo, Glasgow Barrowlands, London O2 Arena
Worst Album: Jonas Brothers, for A Little Bit Longer. Also nominated: Britney Spears, for Circus, Coldplay, for Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Razorlight, for Slipway Fires, Scouting for Girls, for Scouting for Girls
Worst Band: Jonas Brothers. Also nominated: Fall Out Boy, Oasis, Scouting for Girls, Tokio Hotel
Sexiest Man: Matt Bellamy. Also nominated: Carl Barat, Keith Murray, Miles Kane, Pete Doherty
Sexiest Woman: Hayley Williams. Also nominated: Alison Mosshart, Kate Jackson, Lykke Li, Stephanie Dosen
Best Album Artwork: Muse, for HAARP. Also nominated: The Cure, for 4:13 Dream, Guillemots, for Red, The Killers, for Day and Age, We Are Scientists, for Brain Thrust Mastery
Best Band Blog: Noel Gallagher / Oasis. Also nominated: Foals, Lightspeed Champion, Little Boots, Radiohead
Philip Hall Radar Award: The Big Pink

Shockwaves NME Awards 2010

The awards took place at the Brixton Academy on 24 February 2010, and were hosted by Jarvis Cocker, with performances by Kasabian with Noel Fielding, The Specials, Biffy Clyro featuring Marina Diamandis, The Big Pink with Lily Allen.

Godlike Genius Award: Paul Weller
Outstanding Contribution to Music: The Specials
Best British Band: Muse. Also nominated: Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro, Kasabian, Oasis
Best International Band: Paramore. Also nominated: Green Day, Kings Of Leon, Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Best Solo Artist: Jamie T. Also nominated: Dizzee Rascal, Florence And The Machine, Julian Casablancas, Lady Gaga
Best New Band: Bombay Bicycle Club. Also nominated: The Big Pink, Mumford & Sons, The xx, La Roux
Best Live Band: Arctic Monkeys. Also nominated: Kasabian, Muse, Radiohead, Them Crooked Vultures
Best Album: Kasabian, for West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Also nominated: Arctic Monkeys, for Humbug, Muse, for The Resistance, The Cribs, for Ignore The Ignorant, The Horrors, for Primary Colours
Best Track: The Big Pink, for Dominos. Also nominated: Animal Collective, for My Girls, Arctic Monkeys, for Crying Lightning, Florence + The Machine, for Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up), Jamie T, for Sticks N’ Stones
Best Video: Biffy Clyro, for The Captain. Also nominated: Arctic Monkeys, for Cornerstone, Kasabian, for Fire, The Maccabees, for Can You Give It, Oasis, for Falling Down
Best Live Event: Blur at Hyde Park. Also nominated: Jay-Z at Alexandra Palace, Muse at Teignmouth, Oasis at Heaton Park, The Dead Weather at Shoreditch Church
Best Festival: Glastonbury Festival. Also nominated: Download, Reading and Leeds Festivals, T In The Park, V Festival
Best TV Show: The Inbetweeners. Also nominated: Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Peep Show, Skins, True Blood
Best Film: Inglourious Basterds. Also nominated: (500) Days Of Summer, In The Loop, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Where The Wild Things Are
Best Dancefloor Filler: La Roux, for In for the Kill (Skream Remix). Also nominated: Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden, for Bonkers, Florence + The Machine, for You’ve Got The Love, Lady Gaga, for Poker Face, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, for Zero
Best DVD: The Mighty Boosh Live – Future Sailors Tour. Also nominated: Kings Of Leon, for Live At The The O2 Arena, Flight Of The Conchords, for Complete HBO Second Season, The Killers, for Live From The Royal Albert Hall, Nirvana, for Live At Reading
Hero of the Year: Rage Against The Machine. Also nominated: Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Matt Bellamy, Alex Turner
Villain of the Year: Kanye West. Also nominated: Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Simon Cowell, Lady Gaga
Best Dressed: Lady Gaga. Also nominated: Liam Gallagher, Noel Fielding, Florence Welch, Karen O
Worst Dressed: Lady Gaga. Also nominated: Matt Bellamy, Katy Perry, Liam Gallagher, Elly Jackson (La Roux)
Worst Album: Jonas Brothers, for Lines, Vines and Trying Times. Also nominated: Green Day, for 21st Century Breakdown, Lady Gaga, for The Fame, U2, for No Line On The Horizon, Arctic Monkeys, for Humbug
Worst Band: Jonas Brothers. Also nominated: Green Day, Oasis, Paramore
Hottest Man: Matt Bellamy (Muse)
Hottest Woman: Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Best Website: Muse.mu. Also nominated: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, GreenDay.com
Best Album Artwork: Kasabian, for West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Also nominated: Muse, for The Resistance, Green Day, for 21st Century Breakdown, The Cribs, for Ignore The Ignorant, Manic Street Preachers, for Journal For Plague Lovers
Best Band Blog: Radiohead (Radiohead.com/deadairspace). Also nominated: Muse (Muse.mu and Twitter.com/muse), Noel Gallagher (Oasisinet.com), Los Campesinos! (Loscampesinos.com), Paramore (Paramore.net)
Giving It Back Fan Award: Lily Allen, for her Twitter ticket treasure hunt. Also nominated: Kasabian and Noel Fielding for free Vlad The Impaler video, Danger Mouse for leaking Dark Night Of The Soul, Arctic Monkeys for their Oxfam golden tickets, Vampire Weekend for giving away Horchata from the album Contra
Phillip Hall Radar Award: The Drums

Shockwaves NME Awards 2011

Hosted by Angelos Epithemiou at the Brixton Academy on 23 February 2011. Performances by My Chemical Romance, Hurts, PJ Harvey, Crystal Castles, and Foo Fighters.

Godlike Genius Award: Dave Grohl
John Peel Award for Innovation: Crystal Castles
Philip Hall Radar Award: The Naked and Famous
Outstanding Contribution to Music: PJ Harvey
Best British Band: Muse. Nominated: Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro, Foals, Kasabian
Best International Band: My Chemical Romance. Nominated: Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, The Drums, Vampire Weekend
Best Solo Artist: Laura Marling. Nominated: Florence Welch, Frank Turner, Kanye West, Paul Weller
Best New Band: Hurts. Nominated: Beady Eye, Everything Everything, The Drums, Two Door Cinema Club
Best Live Band: Biffy Clyro. Nominated: Arcade Fire, Foals, Kasabian, Muse
Best Album: Arcade Fire, for The Suburbs. Nominated: Crystal Castles, for Crystal Castles II, Foals, for Total Life Forever, My Chemical Romance, for Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, Two Door Cinema Club, for Tourist History
Best Track: Foals, for Spanish Sahara. Nominated: Cee Lo Green, for Fuck You, Gorillaz, for Stylo, Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi, for Tightrope, Mark Ronson & The Business Intl., for Bang Bang Bang
Best Video: My Chemical Romance, for Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na). Nominated: Arcade Fire, for We Used To Wait, Brandon Flowers, for Crossfire, Chase & Status, for Let You Go, Gorillaz, for Stylo
Best Festival: Glastonbury. Nominated: Download, Reading And Leeds Festivals, T In The Park, V Festival
Best TV Show: Skins. Nominated: Misfits, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Peep Show, The Inbetweeners
Best Film: Inception. Nominated: Get Him To The Greek, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, The Social Network
Best Dancefloor Filler: Professor Green, for Jungle. Nominated: Crystal Castles, for Baptism, Kele, for Tenderoni, Plan B, for Stay Too Long, Tinie Tempah, for Pass Out
Hero of the Year: Lady Gaga. Nominated: Gerard Way, Julian Assange, Kanye West
Villain of the Year: David Cameron. Nominated: Axl Rose, Justin Bieber, Nick Clegg, Simon Cowell
Most Stylish: Brandon Flowers. Nominated: Hayley Williams, Lady Gaga, Liam Gallagher, Noel Fielding
Least Stylish: Justin Bieber. Nominated: Cheryl Cole, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, Liam Gallagher
Worst Album: Justin Bieber, for My World. Nominated: Cheryl Cole, for Messy Little Raindrops, Katy Perry, for Teenage Dream, Kings Of Leon, for Come Around Sundown, My Chemical Romance, for Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys
Worst Band: Jonas Brothers. Nominated: 30 Seconds To Mars, JLS, Kings Of Leon, Tokio Hotel
Hottest Man: Matt Bellamy. Nominated: Alex Turner, Billie Joe Armstrong, Dominic Howard, Jared Leto
Hottest Woman: Alison Mosshart. Nominated: Emily Haines, Hayley Williams, Lady Gaga, Shakira
Best Album Artwork: Klaxons, for Surfing The Void. Nominated: Foals, for Total Life Forever, Gorillaz, for Plastic Beach, MGMT, for Congratulations, My Chemical Romance, for Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys
Best Band Blog or Twitter: Hayley Williams. Nominated: Frank Turner, Kanye West, Lily Allen, Theo Hutchcraft
Best Book: John Lydon, for Mr Rotten’s Scrapbook. Nominated: Carl Barât, for Threepenny Memoir, Jay-Z, for Decoded, Keith Richards, for Life, Russell Brand, My Booky Wook 2
Best Small Festival (50,000 capacity or lower): RockNess. Nominated: Bestival, Kendal Calling, Latitude, Underage Festival

Artist of the Week – Moby

Posted on 19/05/2016 by rollo

The scheduling must have shifted a bit at some point, as this one is listed as the first artist of the week, but was definitely broadcast first, around 4.20am (!) on the third week of the radio show Music for the Masses, back in late 2004.

As before, apologies in advance for any inaccuracies, errors, hyperbole, or plagiarism in this piece – it was written twelve years ago and intended to be read out loud…

I want to kick off by explaining a little bit about [Moby‘s] musical career. He first picked up the name Moby as a child, being the great great grand-nephew (or something) of the Moby Dick author Herman Melville. During his relatively troubled childhood, he became passionate about music, particularly punk and John Lydon‘s Public Image Limited, among others.

Whilst at college, he formed several punk bands, none of which saw any great success, but in the late 1980s he moved to New York, and started DJing and making music for small underground record labels. In particular, he came up with a number of pseudonyms to become the driving force behind Instinct Records, who would go on to release several compilations of his early material.

After several underground successes, he first became known in the UK with his phenomenal hit Go, which drew heavily on Angelo Badalamenti‘s score for the David Lynch TV series Twin Peaks. After a few false starts, the single reached number 6 in the UK, and was a huge hit across the world.

During the early 1990s he would remix countless major acts, including Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, Brian Eno, Depeche Mode, Erasure, The B-52s, and Orbital, and in 1993 he was signed to the London-based label Mute Records.

His first proper album Everything is Wrong would explore and thoroughly question the different aspects of dance music, and would yield single after single in the UK, all of which were substantial hits. The follow-up though, 1996’s Animal Rights would throw dance out of the window, and turn to hard rock instead.

In 1997, following his fantastic reworking of the James Bond theme, he released a compilation of film tracks, entitled I Like to Score, and following this, he would see his greatest success ever, even if it took rather a long time to grip the world’s consciousness.

The first single from Play was Honey, and was released in mid-1998. At this time the album was already completed, but was delayed as he didn’t have a US record company. On its original release in the UK, it peaked at number 33 and in the US it only scraped the top 100. However, after prostituting every single album track, b-side, and remix onto films and adverts, he finally had his first US hit, and climbed his way up to the top of the UK charts. The album would eventually become so successful that no fewer than eight singles were released in the UK.

The follow-up, 2001’s 18 was seen by many as a disappointment, perhaps simply because it wasn’t adventurous enough. It’s a beautiful album though, and still yielded several hit singles and topped the charts again in the UK. After seeing underground success with his Voodoo Child side-project, his next proper album is due in the spring.

Leftfield – Leftism

Posted on 28/01/2015 by rollo

Most people could probably name where they were the first time they heard Leftfield‘s debut Leftism. Opening track Release the Pressure just seems to explode out of nowhere, in a way that’s extremely rare in music.

It takes a couple of minutes before Release the Pressure really starts properly, but even before it does, you can tell there’s something unusual about it. I’m not convinced that anything quite like it has been released in the two decades since the album originally appeared, but certainly in 1995, the mix of dark electronic beats, African and West Indian influences, and I really have no idea what else – it remains totally unique.

So it continues – Afro-Left, also a single, still sounds pretty much unlike anything else on the planet, and still sounds absolutely faultless, with its enormous tribal beats. The deliciously chilled out Melt is also entirely brilliant, and it and its neighbour Song of Life must have appeared on every film soundtrack in the last couple of decades.

Then comes what’s perhaps the most commercially accessible track on the album, the fantastic Original. Despite definitely having “hit single” written all over it, it also fits perfectly on the album, alongside its more underground compatriots. It’s a beautiful pop song with a brilliantly performed vocal, but also with the enormous electronic burbles and crunches that we’ve got used to over the preceding tracks. If that isn’t pure genius, it’s difficult to know what is.

If this album has a weak point, it’s over the next few tracks, but only because we’re forced to take a break from the catchier, more standout tracks and launch into the darker tribal explorations of Black Flute and Space Shanty. By no means is there anything wrong with them, but perhaps it’s only thanks to the preparation of the first half of the album that you’re ready for this kind of thing to turn up. Or perhaps your expectations are so high by this stage that you won’t accept anything less than exceptional.

Either way, it’s pretty hard to figure out what’s going on in Inspection (Check One), which seems to be an exploratory voyage more than anything, but good nonetheless. The dark instrumental Storm 3000 follows, still very much exploring new sonic territories.

Open Up, originally released a couple of years earlier as the first single from the album, does cause a slight change of direction for the release, even at this late stage. It’s undeniably great, although John Lydon‘s vocal is a little odd to say the least.

The album comes to a close with the fantastic 21st Century Poem. Deep, dark, dejected, and very good indeed, it’s a fitting close to a fantastic album, with all its reverse samples and haunting sounds. Or rather, it would be – there’s a short bassy postscript that follows after a few seconds’ silence, which is the real end to this truly unique release.

If you can find it, the double CD version from 2000 adds some extra remixes and alternative versions, making the album into an even more complete experience. But even without it, no music collection can ever possibly be complete without a copy of Leftism.

Unfortunately the double CD reissue seems to be harder to find these days, but the original release is still widely available.

Q Awards Winners 1990-2012 (Part Two)

Posted on 15/10/2013 by rollo

We’ll look at this year’s ceremony next week, but for now here’s a continuation of the list that we started last week, of all the winners to date, by award:

Songwriter and Producer

Although seemingly now discontinued, these were a couple of Q’s better awards, recognising the contributions of the people behind the music.

Best Songwriter / Q Classic Songwriter

1990 – Prince
1991 – Richard Thompson
1992 – Neil Finn
1993 – Neil Finn
1994 – Morrissey
1995 – Van Morrison
1996 – Rod Stewart
1997 – Paul McCartney
1998 – Paul Weller
1999 – Ian Dury / Chas Janke
2000 – Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams
2001 – Kate Bush
2002 – Jimmy Cliff
2003 – Dexys Midnight Runners
2004 – Elton John
2005 – Nick Cave
2006 – Noel Gallagher
2007 – Billy Bragg
2008 – John Mellencamp
2009 – Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)
2010 – Neil Finn
2011 – Gary Barlow

Best Producer

1990 – Paul Oakenfold / Steve Osborne
1991 – Trevor Horn
1992 – Daniel Lanois / Peter Gabriel / The Orb
1993 – Flood / Brian Eno / The Edge
1994 – Stephen Street
1995 – Tricky
1996 – John Leckie
1997 – Nellee Hooper
1998 – Norman Cook
1999 – William Orbit
2000 – Pete Devereux and Mark Hill (Artful Dodger)
2001 – Nigel Godrich
2002 – Moby
2003 – Nigel Godrich
2004 – Mick Jones
2005 – Gorillaz / Danger Mouse

Best Newcomer

One thing the Q Awards do pretty well is having lots of almost identically-named awards. They do show a pretty good track record with the newcomer and breakthrough artists though…

Best New Act

1990 – They Might Be Giants
1991 – Seal
1992 – Tori Amos
1993 – Suede
1994 – Oasis
1995 – Supergrass
1996 – Alanis Morissette
1997 – Fun Lovin’ Criminals
1998 – Gomez
1999 – Basement Jaxx
2000 – Badly Drawn Boy
2001 – Starsailor
2002 – Electric Soft Parade
2003 – The Thrills
2004 – Razorlight
2005 – James Blunt
2006 – Corinne Bailey-Rae
2007 – The Enemy
2008 – The Last Shadow Puppets
2009 – White Lies
2011 – WU LYF
2012 – Django Django

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

2007 – Kate Nash
2008 – Duffy
2009 – Mr Hudson
2010 – Plan B
2011 – Ed Sheeran

Q’s Next Big Thing

2010 – Clare Maguire
2011 – Lana del Rey

Best Live Act

One of the jewels in the Q Awards’s crown:

1990 – Rolling Stones
1991 – Simple Minds
1992 – Crowded House
1993 – Neil Young
1994 – Pink Floyd
1995 – Oasis
1996 – Pulp
1997 – The Prodigy
1998 – Roni Size / Reprazent
1999 – Stereophonics
2000 – Oasis
2001 – Manic Street Preachers
2002 – The Hives
2003 – Robbie Williams
2004 – Muse
2005 – U2
2006 – Muse
2007 – Muse
2008 – Kaiser Chiefs
2009 – Arctic Monkeys
2010 – Biffy Clyro
2011 – Blur

Best Artist

The oddly named ‘Best Act in the World Today’ Award goes right back to the Q Awards’ beginnings in 1990, but was also recently joined by special solo awards too…

Best Act in the World Today

1990 – U2
1991 – R.E.M. / U2
1992 – U2
1993 – U2
1994 – R.E.M.
1995 – R.E.M.
1996 – Pulp
1997 – Oasis
1998 – Manic Street Preachers
1999 – Blur
2000 – Travis
2001 – Radiohead
2002 – Radiohead
2003 – Radiohead
2004 – Red Hot Chili Peppers
2005 – Coldplay
2006 – Oasis
2007 – Arctic Monkeys
2008 – Coldplay
2009 – Muse
2011 – Coldplay
2012 – Muse

Best Male

2010 – Paolo Nutini
2011 – Tinie Tempah

Best Female

2010 – Florence + The Machine
2011 – Adele

Best Solo Artist

2012 – Emeli Sandé

Q Innovation Award / Innovation in Sound

Perhaps the most fascinating of all the awards, except for the couple of years when it was given to really dull and non-innovative artists.

2002 – Depeche Mode
2003 – Muse
2004 – The Human League
2005 – The Prodigy
2006 – The Edge
2007 – Sigur Rós
2008 – Massive Attack
2009 – Sonic Youth
2010 – Mark Ronson
2011 – Kaiser Chiefs
2012 – Underworld

Outstanding Lifetime Icon / Idol Achievement Awards

I suspect that, like me, you’re totally taken aback by this slew of near-identical awards. But hats off to them for finding a hundred different ways to honour U2 and R.E.M.!

Special Merit Award

1990 – Paul McCartney
1991 – Lou Reed
1992 – Led Zeppelin
1993 – Elton John
1999 – Keith Richards
2000 – Jerry Dammers / The Specials
2001 – Elvis Costello
2002 – Tom Jones
2004 – Shane McGowan
2006 – Manic Street Preachers
2007 – Ryan Adams

Q Inspiration

1992 – B.B. King
1993 – Donald Fagen
1994 – The Kinks
1995 – David Bowie / Brian Eno
1996 – U2
1997 – Patti Smith
1998 – Blondie
1999 – New Order
2000 – Joe Strummer
2001 – John Lydon
2002 – Echo and the Bunnymen
2003 – The Cure
2004 – Pet Shop Boys
2005 – Björk
2006 – a-ha
2007 – Damon Albarn
2008 – Cocteau Twins
2009 – The Specials
2010 – Suede
2011 – Fatboy Slim
2012 – Pulp

Lifetime Achievement

1997 – The Who
1998 – R.E.M.
2003 – Duran Duran
2004 – Roxy Music
2005 – Bee Gees
2006 – Peter Gabriel
2007 – Johnny Marr

Q Icon

2003 – Jane’s Addiction
2004 – U2
2005 – Jimmy Page
2006 – Jeff Lynne
2007 – Sir Paul McCartney
2008 – Adam Ant
2009 – Marianne Faithfull
2010 – Bryan Ferry
2011 – Noel Gallagher
2012 – Dexys Midnight Runners

Q Outstanding Contribution to Music Award

2005 – Paul Weller
2006 – Smokey Robinson
2007 – Johnny Marr
2008 – David Gilmour
2009 – Robert Plant
2011 – Siouxsie Sioux

Q Legend

2005 – Joy Division
2006 – The Who
2007 – Ian Brown
2008 – Glen Campbell
2009 – Edwyn Collins

Q Idol

2006 – Take That
2007 – Kylie Minogue
2008 – Grace Jones
2009 – Spandau Ballet
2010 – Madness
2012 – Brandon Flowers

Hall of Fame Award

2010 – Take That
2011 – Queen