The Pop Factory Awards

• 8th Oct 2003

The Pop Factory are pleased to announce the nominations for this year’s Awards ceremony. Taking place on October 24th at the Pop Factory studios in Porth, South Wales, the Awards highlight the best up and coming talent from Wales, as well as established pop and rock acts from around the UK.

Leading the nominations in four categories are The Darkness. Currently riding high in the charts with their debut album ‘Permission To Land’ and the recent single ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, the band have had a phenomenal year since playing at last year’s Pop Factory Awards as a hotly tipped new act. Feeder, Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics and Funeral For A Friend lead the welsh nominations.

Funeral For A Friend will be playing live on the night, alongside two other bands to be announced shortly. Nominated in Best Live Act and Best Pop Factory Debut, the band are set to become Wales’ biggest new rock act after their recent Kerrang! cover and top twenty hit single.

Best Pop Act (Sponsored by Red Dragon)
Daniel Beddingfield, Blazin’ Squad, Busted, D’ Side, Junior Senior, Liberty X

Best Album (Sponsored by HMV)
Feeder, Cerys Matthews, The Darkness, The Thrills, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals

Best Live Act (Sponsored by Roland UK)
Feeder, Funeral For A Friend, The Darkness, The Revs, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals

Best Pop Factory Debut (Sponsored by Coca Cola)
Funeral For A Friend, Longview, The Darkness, The Libertines, The Revs, The Thrills

Best Pop Factory Performance (Sponsored by The Hard Rock Café)
Kym Marsh, Ian McCulloch, The Darkness, The Revs, The Thrills, Terri Walker

Best Welsh Language New Talent (Sponsored by Coleg Morganwg)
Kentucky AFC, Pep Le Pew, Texas Radio Band, Zabrinksi

Best Welsh Language Talent (Sponsored by Welsh Language Board)
Gabrielle 25, Jakokoyak, MC Saisamundo, Meinir Gwilym

Best New Talent (Sponsored by Sonig Youth Music)
Ayra, Culprit One, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Jarcrew, The Crimea, The Hot Puppies

The winners of the award for ‘Contribution To The Music Industry In Wales’ and ‘Outstanding Contribution To The Music Scene’, sponsored by the Welsh Development Agency and Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, will be announced on the night.

Voting will take place through link and link as of Monday 6th October. Red Dragon listeners will also be able to vote for the Best Pop award.

As previously announced, a series of gigs will take place at the Pop Factory studios to kick off the awards. The shows will be a chance to catch some of the brilliant bands nominated in the Best New Talent category. The line up is as follows;

Wednesday 8th October: The Crimea, Squeezebox, Pete’s Sake, The Caves

Thursday 9th October: Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Culprit One, Arkane & a music industry conference during the afternoon with keynote speakers from the industry.

Friday 10th October: Kennedy Soundtrack, Midasuno, When Reason Sleeps, Hot Puppies & a music workshop courtesy of Roland.

Tickets for the gigs cost £4 on October 8th, £5 for the other shows and are available from The Pop Factory, EX Box (Porth), Rainbow Records (Pontypridd), Derricks (Swansea), Spillers (Cardiff), Redhouse Records (Aberdare Market), Diverse (Newport), Jungle Music (Bridgend).

Last year’s inaugural ceremony saw Stereophonics, Feeder, Manic Street Preachers and Lost Prophets in attendance, whilst The Darkness and So Solid Crew’s Romeo gave live performances. After not giving any interviews around the release of their best of album, the welsh press were given a world exclusive on the next Manic Street Preachers album when Nicky Wire entered the media room. The evening ended raucously with The Cooper Temple Clause on the decks at the aftershow in central Cardiff.