Sometimes you ask yourself where all the most elegant and fabulously eccentric people in London are spending their time?
Well on the evening of the 14th of May the answer to that question was in Camden, more specifically, gathered en masse at the newly refurbished Koko for the first in-person Worldwide Awards event since the pandemic hit back in 2020.
The Worldwide Awards were founded by the musical figurehead Gilles Peterson; the first physical ceremony took place in 2004, nearly 20 years ago. I suppose you could consider him an influencer before ‘influencers’ were even a thing, though I get the sense he might be rather irked to be referred to in terms that are quite so reductive in the span of his career. The awards are dedicated to celebrating up-and-coming musicians on an international scale. A way of shining a light on the ‘back room’ of the music scene – the place where so many artists begin their journey. It represents an important starting block to be heard by a wider audience, promoters, curators and record labels.
By some miracle, I arrived early despite my desperate attempts to be seen being ‘fashionably late’. Turns out in the grand scheme of the evening I was to be neither fashionable nor late. I definitely saw more than one impeccably worn cape in a crowd that could give any fashion week a good run for its money. I scaled the ascending levels of staircases to take my viewing spot for the evening, the plush seats and bar tables serving a very ‘Gothamesque’ feel to the whole situation. The refurbishment Koko has undergone has certainly been worth it. I was lucky enough to attend the last Worldwide Awards back in 2019 so it felt like a triumph to see both the event and the venue that has homed it for so long come back strong from the past few years.
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There was an incredible range of live performers including a phenomenal rendition from Doom Cannon, Dominic Canning’s first project as a solo artist. Emma-Jean Thackray, Gabriels and Tyson were also spellbinding selections to showcase. However, Kojey Radical was my personal favourite, the perfect choice to perform at this event, opening up with his smooth growling voice and unmatched stage presence he brought a level of energy to the crowd that held impressively high for the rest of the evening.
The winners were a brilliant reflection of the underlying principles of the Worldwide Awards, no surprise there, Gilles Peterson doesn’t miss and decades of refining his ear have made him one of the most insightful and on point tastemaking veterans in the British music industry.
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Album Of The Year went to Cleo Sol for her euphoric and almost angelic second album ‘Mother’. Track Of The Year was snatched up by ‘South’ by Wu-Lu, a genre blended song that channels metal influences alongside rap from the spectacular Lex Amor. The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on Brian Jackson with an accompanying performance that would leave anyone who doubted the decision in a ridiculously precarious position. Tyson was crowned the Breakthrough Act and as someone who adores the 90’s R&B feel on her song ‘Tuesday’, I was delighted to see her get her dues. Lastly, the Community Award was given to Tomorrow’s Warriors, the innovative jazz music education and artist development organisation that has helped platform a large number of the best musicians currently performing in the international jazz scene, if you haven’t seen their work I would definitely recommend you check it out!
As award shows go the Worldwide Awards necessitates very little pomp because the strength of their artists has always stood on their own and made the awards into an institution that continues to be deeply respected. There's no need to fill in gaps with overhyped or underdeveloped artists in the hopes of gaining even more attention because these musicians are so deeply connected to their craft and so passionate to match that it would be arbitrary to the event as a whole to try and pull a disconnected crowd. Especially considering there was just about enough space to breathe on the balconies, I really don’t think Koko could handle many more people.
The Worldwide Awards is not dedicated to what sells the most or gets the most amount of radio plays, but if you want to keep your ear to the ground and see an impeccable selection from the next wave of musical performers on the come up through an extensive range of genres then it’s the space for you, much as it was for me that evening.
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Words: Naima Sutton
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