Renown UK music magazine MOJO honored future stars and current legends of the music industry at a star studded event held at The Brewery in London last night. Here are all the night’s winners (Kasabian pictured) with commentary by Phil Alexander (MOJO’s Editor in Chief) courtesy of mojo4music
The MOJO Breakthrough Act (presented by Glenfiddich)
Winner: The Low Anthem
Phil Alexander : “The Low Anthem are a classic American band in the making. Their last album, Oh My God Charlie Darwin, which came out on Bella Union last year, fired up the MOJO readers’ imagination with its mix of Dylan-meets-Waits Americana. To be honest, they’re still a well kept secret but this year will belong to them. MOJO readers prove themselves once again one step ahead of the pack by voting them the Breakthrough Act of the last 12 months.”
The MOJO Vision Award
Winner: Oil City Confidential
PA: “Julien Temple manages to romanticise so much about British life in his films, even unpromising East Coast town Canvey Island. But Canvey’s pre-punk pathfinders Dr Feelgood deserve a film like this. They are genuine heroes of British music and Wilko Johnson is an absolutely phenomenal guitarist who has influenced everyone from Joe Strummer and Mick Jones to Steve Albini. This film is a celebration of the impact of rock’n’roll on a very specific area and the manner in which rock’n’roll can create the unlikeliest of heroes. This film is real, and that’s why it won.”
The MOJO Medal
Winner: Mute’s Daniel Miller
PA: “This is the award that honours the industry stalwart, the old school “record man”. Daniel Miller is all that, and could also be considered the godfather of electro-pop. He has a view of music that is unique and, like all great labels, Mute is a reflection of its founder’s taste. Daniel is loyal and he sticks by his acts and lets them develop. I think he feels totally protective of them. The fact that Kraftwerk – the band that inspired him so much – are now under the Mute umbrella is a great testament to a man who is so deserving of this award.”
The MOJO Maverick Award
Winner: Hawkwind
PA: “Hawkwind are the greatest counter-culture band of all-time. In a career that has spanned 41 years, they have survived psychedelia, prog, punk, post-punk, metal, rave, having an impact on music in all these phases while remaining a law unto themselves. They are mavericks in every sense of the term, hence they join the likes of The Fall, Manic Street Preachers and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as winners of this award that celebrates the ability to shatter genres and think differently.”
The MOJO Best Live Act (presented by Red Stripe)
Winner: Midlake
PA: “It’s a great time for live music and Midlake are a great live band. Their new album, The Courage Of Others, is one of those records that simply grows on you the more you play it but which you never tire of. Live, they are really coming into their own, managing to sound both epic and intimate at the same time – a rare ability. It’s that quality that has endeared them so to MOJO readers, who voted them top in this tough category.”
The MOJO Compilation Of The Year
Winner: Amorphous Androgynous
PA: “Amorphous Androgynous are the greatest psychedelic crate-diggers of all-time. Noel Gallagher loves them, Paul Weller loves them and MOJO readers clearly love them. They did a mix for an issue of MOJO that tangled up ’60s psychedelia with soul, jazz and space rock and it is one of the most talked-about covermount CDs in the history of the magazine. They really are a force to be reckoned with and I think the next 12 months will see them bring a whole lot more to the party.”
The MOJO Merit Award
Winner: Devo
PA: “Devo are iconic and iconoclastic at the same time. Their music doesn’t really fit and yet it’s inspired everyone from David Bowie to Neil Young and on to Kurt Cobain. They are the cornerstone of alternative rock in America and the country’s harshest critics.”
The MOJO Classic Album Award
Winner: The Stone Roses
PA: “Is there a more iconic British album of the last two decades? The Stone Roses managed to sum up an era and to create a piece of work that also transcends the time in which it was made. This award recognises that achievement and celebrates the album’s twentieth anniversary.”
The MOJO Catalogue Release Of The Year (presented by HMV)
Winner: The Beatles Remastered
PA: “It’s The Beatles. Remastered. In stereo and mono. With love. That’s all you need to know. Somehow, they still rule the world. This body of work proves why, and this particular reissue campaign was an exemplary effort on Apple and EMI’s part. Hats off!”
The MOJO Roots Award
Winner: Kate & Anna McGarrigle
PA: “The MOJO Roots Award, as its name suggests, is designed to recognise musicians that go back to the source for inspiration and the McGarrigles did that. They used folk as a template to create a sense of poetry and earthiness that was infectious and which was absorbed into the mainstream. Obviously, Kate’s death this year was very sad, but this award is designed to celebrate her life and the achievement of both her and sister Anna. Our only regret is that it is posthumous.”
The MOJO Hero Award
Winner: Marc Almond
PA: “When we found out that Marc Almond was celebrating his thirtieth anniversary as a singer we felt we had to mark the occasion. Anthony Hegarty (of Antony And The Johnsons fame) was of the same opinion, and flew in especially from New York to present this award. Essentially, the MOJO Hero Award honours the work of someone truly beloved by the magazine and Marc is one of those guys. He is the greatest torch singer still out there. Marc puts so much of himself into a song. He is a rare performer. A true hero.”
The MOJO Classic Songwriter Award
Winner: Roy Wood
PA: “Roy Wood formed three classic British bands: The Move, ELO and Wizzard. He also wrote some of the best pop music of any era, all before he’d turned 22. He has influenced everyone from Paul Weller to Kiss. That’s why he is a Classic Songwriter – with a capital ‘C’ and an equally capital ‘S’. This award is long overdue if you ask me. Oh, and have you noticed that I haven’t even mentioned his evergreen role during the festive period…”
The MOJO Best Album (presented by Ford Transit)
Winner: Truelove’s Gutter
PA: “Richard Hawley’s Truelove’s Gutter is a stunning piece of work. It’s one of those records that is truly timeless. In 5, 10, or even 50 years you will still be able to listen to it because the mood and the songs are perfect. It is designed to be listened to as an album and that, in this day and age, is a rare thing. That’s why MOJO readers have voted it the best album of the last 12 months.”
The MOJO Outstanding Contribution To Music
Winner: Sigur Rós
PA: “Sigur Rós are widely recognised as men of mystery. Their enigmatic presence is matched by their music. Having a member of Radiohead, Philip Selway, present this award tells you just how much fellow musicians love them. They are like a latter day Pink Floyd – transporting and epic. And their contribution to music can be heard and felt everywhere.”
The MOJO Les Paul Award (presented by Gibson Guitars)
Winner: Richard Thompson
PA: “Richard Thompson helped birth the British folk rock explosion of the ’60s with Fairport Convention but since then he has gone on to make records that are full of craft and wit. He is one of those great, understated guitar players that other musicians look up to. That’s why everyone from David Gilmour to R.E.M via Elvis Costello have covered his songs. A worthy recipient of this award and a man who sits alongside previous honourees like Jeff Beck, Brian May and John Martyn.”
The MOJO Inspiration Award (presented by HMV)
Winner: The Teardrop Explodes
PA: “We have a tradition of reuniting bands at the MOJO Honours List. The Specials in 2008 – with Jerry Dammers – is a case in point. And last year, Blur and Mott The Hoople made their first appearances in reunited form on a stage at the MOJO Honours List. This year, we’re amazed that The Teardrop Explodes agreed to come and receive this award that celebrates their spirit of innovation and their impact. They were the great ambassadors of psychedelia in the ’80s when the genre was all but dead. And you can hear their influence on Morrissey and Blur – to name but two acts that benefited from The Teardrops’ epic post-punk sensibilities.”
The MOJO Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by Sony Commercial Music Group)
Winner: Jean-Michel Jarre
PA: “Jean-Michel Jarre is up there with Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream as one of the real pioneers of electronic music. The difference is that Jarre has always thought on an epic scale. 1977’s Oxygène is a seminal album, but we also salute the experimentation of later work like Zoolook. Jean-Michel’s influence is incontestable and, for all his mainstream appeal, he also manages to make records that ooze an essential integrity.”
The MOJO Song Of The Year Award (presented by Russian Standard Vodka)
Winner: Kasabian – Fire
PA: “Kasabian launched the MOJO Honours List last year with a free gig in HMV’s Oxford Circus store. At that time, their album wasn’t out. Since then, they’ve become Britain’s biggest band thanks to sustained touring and their stunning anthemic qualities. Fire underlines that and has become a firm MOJO staple, hence this award from the readers.”
The MOJO Icon Award
Winner: Duane Eddy
PA: “Duane Eddy is the reason a lot of British musicians started playing guitar. Ask Paul McCartney, Roy Wood, Bill Nelson (who is presenting the award) or Richard Hawley. He is one of those truly remarkable American musicians who helped shape rock’n’roll as we know it. A true icon of the six-string. Having him and his wife Deed fly in from Nashville to receive this award is a highlight of the event, if not the year.”
The MOJO Hall Of Fame (presented by Universal Catalogue Marketing)
Winner: Jimmy Page
PA: “Jimmy Page is the musician by whom all other musicians are measured. Every guitar player wants to sound like him, every producer wants to capture the sounds he captured (check out the many samplings and emulations of that When The Levee Breaks drum sound). He is a genuine music legend, and a recent BBC poll, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/best-band/ which placed Led Zeppelin above even The Beatles, only underlines it. And, tantalisingly, the prospect of a new Jimmy Page project suggests that the man still has something up his sleeve. I can’t wait to hear what it is.”