It’s that time of the year again where NME and Austin, Texas share the love and give out their coveted awards to musicians.
This year the festivities will take place at London’s O2 Academy in Brixton on 17th February 2016 and will see a long list of artists receive their prizes. The evening will also be packed with music and special guests being given very special awards.
The NME Awards started in 1953 and continued through to 1972. The most famous artists to have played at the awards included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The awards then resurfaced during the nineties and have continued to this day.
I can’t wait myself and below are six reasons why:
1. NME Awards tour
The lead up to the awards is packed with entertainment at the NME Awards shows with Austin, Texas. Ticket recipients have the chance to see up-and-coming artists as well as established ones such as Kid Wave, Spring King, Alex G, VANT, Together Pangea, Crows, Pretty Vicious, Suede, The Magic Gang, Declan McKenna, Mystery Jets, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Swim Deep and The Strypes. I mean who wouldn’t want to see Suede or Crystal Castles, who always have some of the best and craziest live shows on offer? If that doesn’t float your boat and you prefer some new music then feast your eyes on the next big things such as Blossoms, who have heavily been tipped as well as the likes of Boots and Together Pangea who all sound brilliant.
2. The Awards
I love the ceremony! I know it might seem a bit cheesy but it is good fun and there is always entertainment either from the drunk crowd or by the entertainers themselves! Usually there’s also a few jokes along the way that never fail to keep me entertained.
3. Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles will mark their UK return by playing at the NME Awards show this month. This will be the first UK dates the band has played since Alice Glass left the group. This obviously poses a few questions: a. is Crystal Castles still as good without Alice Glass? b. is her replacement any good? c. is her replacement just as mental? . Those are all important questions that can only be answered by going to one of their two shows on 23rd-24th February at Electrowerkz.
4. Coldplay will receive the Godlike Genius Award
Whether you are a hater or not you have to admit that numbers are on Coldplay’s side. The British group sold an incredible 80 million records worldwide during its career to date and its success only seems to grow with time. NME first published an article on the band back in 1998 and Chris Martin has said he remembers it as a fond memory. If you love the band then more the reason to come to the awards ceremony as Coldplay will be playing a few tracks at the end of the show.
5. Austin, Texas
Yes y’all, the NME Awards partner remains Austin, Texas, the Live Music Capital of the World! Hosting events such as SXSW, Austin, Texas has established itself as the place to gig and witness the most incredible shows. We hope that this year the show will involve cowboys/girls and maybe some local entertainment!
6. It’s NME
Yes of course everybody knows (or should know) that print is slowly wasting away and this is the era of online (phew) but credit should be given where credit is due and NME is still an institution to respect. With decades of experience in finding the best bands, NME magazine has been as much a contributor to the music industry as some of the best labels out there (or you could just buy the fresh magazine to sniff it, I do).
The NME tour started on 29th January and the NME Awards with Austin Texas will take place on the 17th February at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. Watch the video for Coldplay’s latest single Hymn for the Weekend featuring Beyonce below:
