- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: NEW MUSIC BANDS FEATURED AT LAUNCH OF Q MAGAZINE MUSIC AWARDS
- Date: 15th October 2002
- Summary: VARIOUS, (SOUNDBITE) (English) THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER SAYING, "I don't mean that in a cheesy, "I love these guys" way, but we went on an expedition for a while and the songs came out of that, rather than Lou Reed being our hero or anything." "Obviously there are bands that we are inspired by, and artists that we respect, but more of our material was born out
- Embargoed: 30th October 2002 12:00
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- Location: LONDON, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA2FLS0JMIL78GAQFP3O71F1DA0
- Story Text: New British music talent was showcased at the launch of this years Q Magazine awards. Oasis and The Hives lead the nominations with three nods apiece, and entertainment was provided by Electric Soft Parade and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
Famed for showdowns between the great and the good of the British music scene, and a fair amount of drunken rowdiness, the Q Awards are an annual indicator of the likes and loathes of grown-up British Music fans. This years launch featured a performance from Electric Soft Parade, who have won their fair share of praise for their debut album, Holes in the Wall - which was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize last month. The band have also been nominated by Q readers for best new act. Drummer, Tom, says the strength of the music, rather than image or hype is what has led to their burgeoning success.
"I think doing the album has done us a lot of good, the fact that we have concentrated on making the record the focal point of what we do, that is the basis for every period of this group that occurs, that's always what we work on most, that's paid off, there are other bands that are more suited to being in the media, or whatever, photogenic, media friendly, better at doing interviews than us, but at the end of the day we have made the record and that is what has got us this far I think."
Brothers Tom and Alex, who hail from Brighton and are just 18 and 20 and are well aware of the problems young artists can face in a cutthroat business, but are taking it all in their stride and are about to begin touring with their new material.
"I think the music industry is what you make it, you can always moan and have a bad time, but at the end of the day, whatever you are doing, there are always going to be people that are there to catch you out or there is going to be people behind you..... You just have to surround yourself with the right people, someone in our position can get involved with the wrong people, but if you surround yourself with people you feel safe with, you can usually look after yourself."
The Q Awards stand out amongst the mainstream British music awards because they are chosen by the readership of the magazine rather than on sales figures or industry insiders. It makes for an eclectic mix of nominees with bands from The Sugababes to Marilyn Manson featuring, as well as the more expected acts like U2 and Radiohead.
"The great thing is is there is no real agenda to the Q Awards , we are not there to say this is the year of UK garage, we are not there to say this is the year of punk rock, we are not there to say any of those things, it is down to the Q readers to pick whatever they like from any genre of music that they fancy this year, the thing about Q is that we only believe there are two kinds of music, good music and bad music, and genre distinctions mean less in Q's world than they mean anywhere else."
The most noteworthy inclusion is Oasis, who's recent album Heathen Chemistry was not well received by the critics, have been nominated for three awards, Best Live Act, Best Single (for Hindu Times) and Best Band in the World Today.
"Every now and then as a pop music critic you have to take it on the chin that the readers are going to support a band that you have slagged off their album, but it is interesting that the Oasis album isn't in the best albums list, but the great thing about Oasis is that they are just an important band, you go and see them live and that is 75% of people's enjoyment often is going to see a band live, the album is just part of it, and Oasis, if anybody went to see them at their Finsbury Park gigs in the summer or their recent gigs at Old Trafford, will attest that they are still a magnificent rock and roll band, and that is what people are responding to. and they are not the only band with three nominations of the list, The Hives have three nominations as well, and I think that in a way says something very similar, which is we love gigs and we love bands that go the extra mile when you go and see them live, because that is certainly the case with Oasis and that is certainly the case with The Hives who are a mind-blowing live experience."
Which was certainly provided at the nominations launch by music industry darlings The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
Like the Electric Soft Parade, the band come from Brighton and have cut their teeth winning over audiences in every small pub venue going, an experience they love. Their favourite venues are
"Small grotty ones where the audience are standing on your feet"
Dubbing themselves "psychosis rock" the five piece have won critical acclaim and a cult following and are certainly a band to watch out for.
The Q Awards takes place on Monday 21st October in London.
The full list of nominations is as follows: Best New Act The Bees Cooper Temple Cause The Coral Electric Soft Parade The Vines Best Single The Hives 'Hate To Say I Told You So' Nickelback 'How You Remind Me' Oasis 'Hindu Times' Red Hot Chili Peppers 'By the Way' The Sugababes 'Freak Like Me' Best Video Eminem 'Without Me' The Hives 'Hate To Say I Told You So' Kylie 'Cant Get You Out Of My Head' Marilyn Manson 'Tainted Love' Pink 'Get The Party Started' Best Producer Rik Rubin - Red Hot Chili Peppers 'By The Way' Tony Viscoti David Bowie 'Heathen' Ken Nelson and Mark Pythian 'Coldplay's Rush of Blood' Moby Moby '18' Weezer and Tom Lord-Alge Weezer 'Maladroit' Best Live Act The Hives Muse Oasis The Strokes White Stripes Best Album Coldplay 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' Doves 'The Last Broadcast' Beth Orton 'Daybreaker' Red Hot Chili Peppers 'By The Way' The Vines 'Highly Evolved' Best Act in the world today Coldplay Oasis Radiohead Stereophonics U2 Q Unwanted Geri Haliwell Simon Cowell Pete Waterman ----ENDS--- - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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