UK music magazine Q have unveiled the nominations for the audience voted categories for The Q Awards 2015, in association with Absolute Radio. The awards will take place on Monday 19 October 2015 and will be hosted by Christian O’Connell for the second year running. Indeed, the unique partnership between Q and Absolute Radio now reaches an audience of in excess of two million ardent music fans.
Leading the nominations, with three apiece, are Florence + The Machine, Foals, Ed Sheeran and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds who will all battle it out on the night for the music industry’s most prestigious awards.
With the massive return of Blur and their surprise album TheMagic Whip this year, the Britpop favourites find themselves nominated for two awards for Best Album, presented by JBL, and Best Act In The World Today, presented by Queen’s Bohemian Lager. The return also reignites an old battle as in both categories they go head-to-head with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
Also in the running to take the Best Album gong are Everything Everything – Get To Heaven, Florence + The Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful and Jamie XX for In Colour,whose single Sleep Sound won him an award for Best Video at the 2014 awards. Up against Noel and Blur in the category of Best Act In The World Today are Foals, Muse and Ed Sheeran.
Championing new and globally diverse emerging talent, the awards category for Best New Act, presented by Orange Amplification, includes 10 artists. Malian band Songhoy Blues, 19-year-old Northern Irish singer Soak, Liverpool indie quartet Circa Waves, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter James Bay, two-piece punk band Slaves, pop-electronica band Years & Years,indie-rockers Wolf Alice, pop’s breakthrough act Jess Glynne, Essex four-piece The Bohicas and Aussie songstress Courtney Barnett are in the running for the award.
The Best Solo Artist, presented by Citroën, will see the world’s greatest artists go head-to-head. The nominees are Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Noel Gallagher.
Foals (What Went Down), The Libertines (Gunga Din), Mark Ronson (Uptown Funk), Florence + The Machine (What Kind Of Man) and New Order (Restless) are all up for an award in the Best Track category, presented by Absolute Radio.
Ed Sheeran is also up for the Best Live Act award, presented by The Cavern Club, alongside Royal Blood, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Mumford & Sons and The Libertines. The Nominees for Best Video are Muse for Psycho, Foals – What Went Down, The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face, Florence + The Machine – Ship To Wreck, Miguel – Coffee.
From today, the public can vote for their favourite artist, track, album or video for each of the following categories at http://www.qthemusic.com/q- awards/
The full list of voted categories is:
· Q Best New Act presented by Orange Amplification
· Q Best Track presented by Absolute Radio
· Q Best Video
· Q Best Album presented by JBL
· Q Best Live Act presented by The Cavern Club
· Q Best Solo Artist presented by Citroën
· Q Best Act In The World Today presented by Queen Bohemian Lager
Other awards presented on the night will include Q Innovation in Sound presented by Sony Xperia, and, as part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the birth of Les Paul, the Gibson Les Paul Award.
Matt Mason, Senior Editor of Q magazine says, “These nominations represent the very best talent from another inventive and exciting year for music. The strength of emerging talent is marked by the 10 disparate but thrilling names on the Best New Act shortlist, while the sheer star wattage on display in Best Solo Artist demonstrates the scale and impact great pop music can still have.
The nominations for Florence, Foals and Everything Everything recognise a year in which three genuinely great British acts delivered tour de force albums, and while Noel Gallagher and Blur may have been battling it out for Q readers’ hearts and minds like this two decades ago, they’ve both produced some of the most adventurous music of their career this year. Whoever wins on the day, the Q Awards is certain to be a fitting climax to a fantastic 12 months for music.”
Full list of nominees in voted categories:
Q Best New Act presented by Orange Amplification
Soak
Slaves
The Bohicas
James Bay
Circa Waves
Years & Years
Wolf Alice
Jess Glynne
Songhoy Blues
Courtney Barnett
Q Best Track presented by Absolute Radio
Foals – What Went Down
The Libertines – Gunga Din
Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk
Florence + The Machine – What Kind Of Man
New Order – Restless
Q Best Video
Muse – Psycho
Foals – What Went Down
The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face
Florence + The Machine – Ship To Wreck
Miguel – Coffee
Q Best Album, presented by JBL
Jamie XX – In Colour
Everything Everything – Get To Heaven
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday
Blur – The Magic Whip
Florence + The Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Q Best Live Act presented by The Cavern Club
Royal Blood
Catfish & The Bottlemen
Ed Sheeran
Mumford & Sons
The Libertines
Q Best Solo Artist presented by Citroën
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Kanye West
Taylor Swift
Noel Gallagher
Q Best Act In The World Today presented by Queen Bohemian Lager
Blur
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Foals
Muse
Ed Sheeran
