Manchester indie giants Elbow won two awards last night (May 21st) in this year’s spectacular Ivor Novello awards.
Held annually in London, the Ivor Novello awards aim to reward songwriting prowess in British music. Taking place at the end of the awards season, it is one of the industry’s last major booze ups before the festival schedule starts to bite.
Taking over London’s Grosvenor House hotel, last night’s ceremony capped a historic year for Elbow. The Bury group were down on their luck, licking their wounds from the poor reception afforded to their previous album ‘Leaders Of The Free World’.
Re-grouping in the recording studio, Elbow began work on what would become ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. An emotionally engrossing classic in the making, the album was a huge word of mouth success.
Elbow were the popular choice to win the Mercury Music Award, emerging onstage in emotional scenes as the band beat off competition from the likes of Radiohead and Burial, amongst others.
The band were in the unusual position of being the favourites at last night’s (May 21st) ceremony. Elbow waltzed away with ‘Best Contemporary Song’ for single ‘Grounds For Divorce’ before receiving ‘Best Song Musically And Lyrically’ for ‘One Day Like This’.
Joining Guy Garvey and co. on the podium were The Ting Tings, who stunned the crowd by beating Coldplay to the ‘Best Album Award’.
However the group did manage to claim an award based on sales, scooping ‘Best Selling British Song’ for ‘Viva La Vida’. The track is currently at the centre of a plagiarism row, with Joe Satriani claiming it borrows segments of a song he released some time ago.
Duffy was also a winner on the night, receiving the ‘PRS For Music’s Most Performed Song’ for her smash hit ‘Mercy’.
Amongst the special awards on the night was ‘PRS For Outstanding Contribution To Music Award’ which was given to Massive Attack. The Bristol legends are set to return next year with their new album, the band’s first since ‘100th Window’.
The full list of winners and nominees at the 54th Ivor Novello Awards were:
Best Song Musically And Lyrically:
Winner: Elbow – ‘One Day Like This’
Nominees: The Last Shadow Puppets – ‘My Mistakes Were Made For You’, The Leisure Society – ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’
Best Contemporary Song:
Winner: Elbow – ‘Grounds For Divorce’
Nominees: Dizzee Rascal – ‘Dance Wiv Me’, The Ting Tings – ‘That’s Not My Name’
Best Original Film Score:
Winner: Jonny Greenwood – ‘There Will Be Blood’
Nominees: David Arnold – ‘Quantum of Solace’, Benjamin Wallfisch – ‘The Escapist’
Best Television Soundtrack:
Winner: Julian Nott – ‘Wallace And Gromit (A Matter of Loaf and Death)’
Nominees: Ben Bartlett – ‘Fiona’s Story’, Anne Dudley – ‘Trial and Retribution 2008’
PRS For Music Most Performed Work:
Winner: Duffy – ‘Mercy’
Nominees: Gabriella Cilmi – ‘Sweet About Me’, Coldplay – ‘Viva La Vida’
Best Selling British Song:
Winner: Coldplay – ‘Viva La Vida’
Nominees: Duffy – ‘Mercy’, M.I.A – ‘Paper Planes’
Album Award:
Winner: The Ting Tings – ‘We Started Nothing’
Nominees: Duffy – ‘Rockferry’, Coldplay – ‘Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends’
Outstanding Song Collection:
Winner: Vince Clarke
PRS For Music Outstanding Contribution To British Music Award:
Winner: Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall (Massive Attack)
The Ivors Classical Music Award:
Winner: James MacMillan
