With under a month to go until the show kicks off, the AIM Independent Music Awards has announced that indie icon Johnny Marr will take home the coveted Pioneer Award, presented in association with Bucks Music Group. Marr will also headline the first-ever live show, set to follow the ceremony at Camden’s Roundhouse on 3 September.
Alongside his considerable solo success, with 2014’s Playland and 2018’s Call the Comet charting in the UK at #9 and #7 respectively, Marr has collaborated with some of the greatest musicians of a generation including Talking Heads, Modest Mouse and New Order’s Bernard Sumner. Fresh from the release of his critically acclaimed new single “The Bright Parade”, the former Smiths guitarist will take to the stage to receive the Pioneer Award in recognition of his prodigious career spanning nearly 40 years. Previous winners have included Goldie and Warp’s Steve Beckett.
Meanwhile, experimental pop duo Let’s Eat Grandma have been confirmed as after-show DJs. No stranger to the AIM Awards, they took home the Best Sophomore Release award for their record “I’m All Ears” in 2018 and will be joining disco, soul, funk and hip-hop UK institution BBE Music, other AIM members and electro-pop sensation Georgia as part of the night’s entertainment. Various other surprise performances have also been lined up for the show.
Following a massive 35,000 public votes, nominees for the ‘Best Live Act’ award, in association with Songkick, can also now be revealed as AJ Tracey, Calpurnia, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Gerry Cinnamon and IDLES. With nearly half a million live shows performed already in 2019, the award celebrates the unstoppable energy and graft of those artists who have transfixed crowds around the world. The winner — the act with the most amount of votes — will be announced on the night of the awards. Previous winners have included Babymetal, Erasure and All Time Low.
Taken with their nomination for ‘UK Independent Breakthrough’, ‘International Breakthrough’, ‘Best [Difficult] Second Album’ and ‘Best Creative Packaging’ this means that IDLES are now in the running for a record-breaking 5 awards — the most a single act has received in one year since the Awards began 9 years ago.
As the ceremony draws nearer, the recipients of the Innovator and Indie Champion awards have also been revealed. Eleven Seven CEO and rock star manager Allen Kovac, whose dazzling career has seen him work with Mötley Crüe, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, and Blondie, will receive the Innovator Award, presented in association with Amazon Music. Meanwhile, Charles Caldas, CEO of global rights agency Merlin, has been named Indie Champion. In his 12 years as CEO, Merlin’s members — which embody more than 20,000 independent labels and distributors around the world — have grown to command over 12% of the digital recorded music market.
3 September 2019
Roundhouse
London, NW1 8EH
The ceremony will begin at 3 pm, with the live show and after-party running from 8:15pm-2am. Tickets to the ceremony, which include dinner, drinks receptions, and access to the exclusive live gig and after-party, can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/2KVqlONTickets to the live gig and after-party only are available here: http://bit.ly/2M4Brl9
Nominees
UK Independent Breakthrough (in association with YouTube Music)
- black midi
- Ezra Collective
- Gerry Cinnamon
- IDLES
- Jade Bird
International Breakthrough
- Afro B
- Jade Bird
- Maribou State
- Nilüfer Yanya
- IDLES
Best Independent Track (in association with Facebook)
- Dave, “Funky Friday (ft. Fredo)”
- FKA Twigs, “Cellophane”
- Fontaines D.C., “Boys In The Better Land”
- Georgia, “About Work The Dancefloor”
- JARV IS, “Must I Evolve”
- Jai Paul, “Do You Love Her Now”
- Holly Herndon, “Eternal”
- Little Simz, “Selfish (ft. Celo Sol)”
- Sharon Van Etten, “Seventeen”
- Four Tet, “Teenage Birdsong”
Best Independent Album (in association with Spotify)
- Better Oblivion Community Center, “Better Oblivion Community Center”
- Christine And The Queens, “Chris”
- Dave, “Psychodrama”
- Fontaines D.C., “Dogrel”
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, “End of Suffering”
- Jade Bird, “Jade Bird”
- Jordan Rakei, “Origin”
- Little Simz, “GREY Area”
- Snapped Ankles, “Stunning Luxury”
- Swindle, “No More Normal”
Best [Difficult] Second Album
- Erland Cooper, “Sule Skerry”
- IDLES, “Joy as an Act of Resistance.”
- Julia Jacklin, “Crushing”
- Maribou State, “Kingdoms In Colour”
- SOAK, “Grim Town”
One To Watch (in association with BBC Music Introducing)
- Arlo Parks
- Barney Artist
- Georgia
- KOKOROKO
- Larkins
Best Small Label
- Fuzz Club Records
- Killing Moon
- Local Action
- Scruff of the Neck
- Speedy Wunderground
Best Creative Packaging (in association with MCPS)
- Hand-picked and curated in collaboration with The Rolling Stones, Confessin’ The Blues compilation
- Murlo, “Dolos”
- IDLES, “Joy as an Act of Resistance”
- Various Artists, Sick Music 2019 compilation
- Keith Richards, “Talk Is Cheap”
Best Independent Video (in association with Vevo)
- Christine and the Queens, “5 Dollars”
- Hot Chip, “Hungry Child”
- John Grant, “He’s Got His Mother’s Hips”
- Caleb Steph, “Black Boy”
- FKA Twigs, “Cellophane”
Best Independent Label (in association with [PIAS])
- Brownswood Recordings
- Domino
- Nuclear Blast
- Partisan Records
- Rough Trade
PPL Award For Most Played New Independent Artist
- AJ Tracey
- Cosmo Sheldrake
- Freya Ridings
- Guru Randhawa
- Jorja Smith
Best Live Act (in association with Songkick)
- AJ Tracey
- Calpurnia
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
- Gerry Cinnamon
- IDLES
Indie Champion
- Awarded to Charles Caldas
Innovator Award (in association with Amazon Music)
- Awarded to Allen Kovac
Outstanding Contribution to Music (in association with Merlin)
- Awarded to Debbie Harry
Pioneer Award (in association with Bucks Music Group)
- Awarded to Johnny Marr
Be the first to comment