News

Shockwaves NME Awards Winners

• 24th Feb 2011

My Chemical Romance have been crowned this year’s biggest winners at the Shockwaves NME Awards, picking up two awards, for Best International Band (supported by T4) and Best Video (supported by NMETV) for ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’. The New Jersey alt. rockers opened the star-studded ceremony – hosted by Angelos Epithemiou at O2 Academy Brixton – with a bang before returning to the stage to collect their reader-voted honours.

The music calendar’s most credible awards saw NME readers casting over three and a half million votes during the second stage of voting. Muse beat off stiff competition from Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Kasabian and Biffy Clyro to land the prestigious Best British Band Award (supported by Shockwaves), adding yet another accolade in an impressive four-year run of triumphs at the Shockwaves NME Awards.

Singer-songwriter (and NME Cool List number one for 2010) Laura Marling accepted the award for Best Solo Artist. Outshining the likes of Kanye West in one of the year’s most hotly contested categories, Marling caps an incredible year in which her acclaimed second album ‘I Speak Because I Can’ has cemented her reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting acts. Biffy Clyro, who jetted in from the United States – where they are currently touring – to attend the event, displaced perennial winners Muse to claim the coveted Best Live Band (supported by Carling).

Hurts, who performed their world-wide hit ‘Wonderful Life’ accompanied by a gothic-style dance troupe, were awarded Best New Band (supported by Boxfresh) – joining a long line of distinguished winners including Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons and MGMT.

Arcade Fire – who were unable to attend the awards – accepted the Best Album Award for their hugely powerful third album ‘The Suburbs’ via a jazz-inspired pre-recorded message. Oxford quintet Foals secured the illustrious Best Track Award (supported by NME Radio) for ‘Spanish Sahara’, seeing off Cee-Lo Green, Gorillaz, Janelle Monae and Mark Ronson in the process.

With winners covering the musical gamut, the NME audience’s eclectic tastes also saw gongs awarded to Professor Green whose ‘Jungle’ single picked up Best Dancefloor Filler; Glastonbury, which won Best Festival for the third year in a row; and Channel 4’s Skins which was awarded the Best TV Show for the first time. The Naked and Famous were this year’s recipients of the Philip Hall Radar Award, named in honour of the late Manic Street Preachers manager to celebrate new talent and chosen by the NME editorial team. And Crystal Castles, who recently headlined the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour, accepted the John Peel Award For Innovation, presented by last year’s host Jarvis Cocker and his co-host Alexa Chung.

PJ Harvey performed tracks from her recently released ‘Let England Shake’ album after being presented with the Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution To Music award. And the highest honour of the evening, the Godlike Genius accolade, was awarded to Dave Grohl who fronted the Foo Fighters to close another incredible Shockwaves NME Awards night with a jubilant full set, including classics and songs from their much anticipated forthcoming album, ‘Wasting Light’.

NME editor Krissi Murison says: “With over 3.5 million votes cast in the second stage of voting, music fans have proved they are as passionate as ever – and their taste in music is as eclectic as ever! Not only is the international rock scene in great shape but a wide spread of genres are represented by our winners tonight. It's great to see My Chemical Romance lead the way scooping two awards. And with Muse, Biffy Clyro, Laura Marling, Professor Green, Hurts and Arcade Fire amongst others all coming out top in their nominated categories, 2011 is set to be a great year for music.”

Awards not presented on the night saw Justin Bieber score an unwelcome double, winning both the Least Stylish and Worst Album categories, with fellow US teen idols the Jonas Brothers voted Worst Band. The public vote also awarded Matt Bellamy the Hottest Man accolade, named The Kills’ Alison Mosshart as Hottest Woman and named Brandon Flowers winner of the Most Stylish award (supported by Shockwaves). This year’s Hero is Lady Gaga while coalition government leader David Cameron pipped his deputy Nick Clegg to the post to claim the Villain prize. Inception picked up Best Film, Klaxons ‘Surfing The Void’ took the prize for Best Album Artwork, Hayley Williams (Paramore) won Best Blog, John Lydon claimed Best Book for Mr Rotten's Scrapbook and RockNess gained Best Small Festival.

Music fans can catch all the highlights from the Shockwaves NME Awards 2011 hosted by Alexa Chung on Channel 4 on Saturday night at 11.20pm with T4 showing coverage of the awards earlier in the day at 11.25am.

The Awards In Full:
Best British Band (supported by Shockwaves)
Muse

Best International Band (supported by T4)
My Chemical Romance

Best Solo Artist
Laura Marling

Best Live Band (supported by Carling)
Biffy Clyro

Best New Band (supported by Boxfresh)
Hurts

Best Album
Arcade Fire 'The Suburbs'

Best Track (supported by NME Radio)
Foals 'Spanish Sahara'

Best Video (supported by NME TV)
My Chemical Romance 'Na Na Na' (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)

Best Festival
Glastonbury

Best Dancefloor Filler
Professor Green 'Jungle'

Best TV Show
Skins

Categories awarded by NME
Philip Hall Radar Award – The Naked & Famous
Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution To Music – PJ Harvey
John Peel Award For Innovation – Crystal Castles
Godlike Genius – Dave Grohl

Other Categories
Best Film – Inception
Hero – Lady Gaga
Villain – David Cameron
Most Stylish – Brandon Flowers (supported by Shockwaves)
Least Stylish – Justin Bieber
Worst Album – Justin Bieber 'My World 2.0'
Worst Band – Jonas Brothers
Hottest Man – Matt Bellamy
Hottest Woman – Alison Mosshart (The Kills)
Best Album Artwork – Klaxons ‘Surfing The Void’
Best Blog – Hayley Williams (Paramore)
Best Book – John Lydon Mr Rotten's Scrapbook
Best Small Festival – RockNess