2006 AWARDS

Well this may or may not be fun, but here we go. The "big" three are already decided but there are a number of other, less important, categories to consider. But just because they are less important, it doesn't make them any less important. Where explanation is deemed necessary, there is indeed some explanation.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Someone To Drive You Home (The Long Blondes)

SINGLE OF THE YEAR - Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me (The Pipettes)

CONCERT OF THE YEAR - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins (Salford Lowry)

WORST ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Back To Basics (Christina Aquilera)
There wasn't another album in 2006 that annoyed me so much. There were some albums which weren't very good and there were albums which were disappointing and then there was this. An album so up it's own arse that it's a wonder anyone could see well enough to put together the booklet. An absolute pain from start to finish.

WORST SINGLE OF THE YEAR - Message In A Bottle (Filterfunk)
Absolutely fucking terrible. Honourable mentions, of course, go to America by Razorlight and The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, anything Orson released, Laffy Taffy by DL4 and that awful thing where Santana teamed up with Joss Stone and Sean Paul.

SUPPORT ACT OF THE YEAR - The Hot Puppies (supporting The Pipettes)
For once this was a hard fought contest, even allowing for the fact that I disqualified The Like from this on two counts; a) I saw them as headliners at other times of the year and b) we'd actually gone only to see The Like so in essence they weren't the support as such. Anyway, there were other great supports in 2006, including The 1990's, Duke Special and Catherine Feeny but the Hot Puppies take the award as they were, well the best.

MOST AMIABLE CELEBRITY MEETING OF THE YEAR - The Hedrons
Jenny Lewis might have won it, even with the fact she wouldn't pose for a picture; The Like might have won it if Tennesse hadn't started ignoring me as the year went on (not that you can really blame her ;-D); Sandi Thom deserves credit for ignoring Kate swearing a lot because I couldn't work her phone....but in the end it's the Hedrons. Be it jokes about Paris Hilton, comparing trips to Wigan Pier or being offered strawberry's they were absolutely lovely.

FUNNIEST CELEBRITY MEETING OF THE YEAR - Z-Berg
The funniest simply because she recognised me before she recognised my best mate Alan, who absolutley loves her. Funny both for my winking and the sight, out of the corner of my eye, Alan desperately trying to make himself noticed without wanting to look like he's make too much effort to be noticed.

BEST MEAL WITH A CELEBRITY - Nerina Pallot at Pizza Express
If only the Pipettes hadn't been too late for food in that pub huh? But anyway, sharing a Lasagne with Nerina in Salford's Pizza Express was pretty funny. A deserving encore to having chicken with James Blunt back in 2005.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR - Over & Over - Hot Chip
This was just funny as funk and I just couldn't stop watching it from the moment I saw it.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS -
There have been some crackers this year and so here's a few of them, in alphabetical order in terms of the song...
Atlantis To Interzone - The Klaxons
Doctor Blind - Emily Haines
Gettin' Enough - Lil' Chris
I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
Judy - The Pipettes
Lets Make Love & Listen To Death From Above - CSS
Maneater - Nelly Furtado
Rise Up With Fists - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
We're From Barcelona - I'm From Barcelona
White & Nerdy - Weird Al Yankovic

REISSIUE OF THE YEAR - Different Class (Pulp)
A classic album, lovingly reproduced with bonus tracks.

GREATEST HITS ALBUM OF THE YEAR - The Sound Of Girls Aloud (Girls Aloud)
Scoff if you will, but it's pop perfection housed on one CD...with 14 top 10 hits!

GREATEST HITS ALBUM THAT WE DIDN'T REALLY NEED OF THE YEAR - The Best Of Depeche Mode Volume 1 (Depeche Mode)
You probably have one of the other 37 compilations of their hits, so you either don't need this on that score, or don't need it because you don't like them. Still, it is a fantastic collection nevertheless.

NON-ARTIST SPECIFIC COMPILATION OF THE YEAR - 100% Solid Pop Music (Pop Justice)
A delight from start to finish.

MUSIC RELATED BOOK OF THE YEAR - Catalogue (Pet Shop Boys)
A stunning look through the stylistic career of the Pet Shop Boys