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SAMAs FTW!

Hannah Currie checks out the Scottish Alternative Music Awards.

Posted 1st March 2011, 1:40pm in Blogs by Hannah Currie
Hannah Currie

Hannah Currie

Writer

SAMAs FTW! Anyone with a heart and half a brain would be forgiven for feeling a sense of unease about awards season. All that exuberant excess: dresses so expensive they could feed an African country, goodie-bags filled with gold-plated corkscrews and Gucci umbrellas and other such unnecessary trinkets... not to mention the sickly-sweet celebrity shoulder-rubbing and back-patting and those never-ending ‘Thank you darling’ speeches that are relevant only to the winner and their entourage. It’s repetitive and downright dull, and in my opinion, it’s long overdue an overhaul. Who’d have thought that wee bonnie Scotland would offer the remedy?

Last Friday, the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs) exceeded all expectations to provide an unforgettable evening of entertainment. OK, so there was no red carpet: guests waited in a queue next to a nearby McDonalds. I wasn’t wearing a gown by Oscar de la Renta, but an old H&M skirt and a pair of boots that I bought in Tesco. And I wasn’t sipping champers with Rihanna, but knocking back Jaegerbombs with... well, myself, mostly. But what some might consider shortfalls in fact made the SAMAs real and interesting. Forget the fakery: they were far from perfect, but I can almost guarantee that anyone who found themselves in my shoes (OK, maybe not my shoes, since they’re Tesco numbers, but you get the idea) would have enjoyed themselves far more than a night putting up with James Corden’s annoying sycophancy at the BRITs, or pretending to care about Lady Gaga’s egg-hatching stunt at the Grammys.

Unlike their bigger alternatives, the SAMAs were fun for everyone, not just the people who were nominated. Awards were punctuated with live performances. Three Blind Wolves played a stormer of a set, proving themselves more than worthy of the ‘Best Live Act’ award which they picked up later in the evening. Cities and Skylines also impressed with their brand of catchy alt rock, and The LaFontaines rounded off the show with a blast of rap-led dance pop which was so captivating that half the crowd were cavorting and the other half were gawping. Thoroughly entertained, this tipsy interviewer caught up with some of the guests for a chat about why the SAMAs were great for them:

Jim Gellatly, DJ, Clyde 1: “Anything that bigs up new music in Scotland has to be applauded. Tonight is a great example of the amazing new talent that’s coming through the country at the moment.  It must be remembered that the SAMAs are not a total reflection of the alternative music scene in Scotland, otherwise bands like Biffy Clyro would have been nominated, but I think that’s a good thing because it’s all about developing talent. Cities and Skylines are a band I’ve been playing on the radio recently and tonight is the first time i’ve seen them live and it’s really exciting. I also loved The La Fontaines who won Best Live Act last year - they are one of the funniest and most entertaining bands around. I’m not sure they know that - I think they take it a bit more seriously - but I think they’re hilarious.” 

John Gerard, bassist, The LaFontaines: “It’s been brilliant. It’s incredible to see how the awards have grown. It was a bit of a shock walking in and seeing so many people, and everyone is buzzing. The highlight of my night was probably seeing [Scottish comedian] Gary Tank Commander turning up! And also seeing how well everything has turned out - it’s even better than I expected.”  

Ally McCrae, DJ, BBC Introducing: “The SAMAs are all about Scotland having a bit of pride in itself and in its bands. It’s such a worthwhile enterprise. It’s quite London-centric, having an awards ceremony, but it is important for Scotland and it is very cool. Three Blind Wolves were absolutely brilliant - the passion and the energy they put into that performance is amazing. I especially loved the final song in the crowd - coming off the stage and creating a circle takes a lot of balls, but every single person in this room just went, wow! They really deserved Best Live Act. They are absolute gentlemen.” 

David Gosling, bassist, Cities & Skylines: “The awards give bands that are underexposed a nice platform to build on. They have helped us enormously. We’ve only been together with this line-up for a while, so being asked to come and play tonight was a massive pat on the back for everything we’ve done so far, and we’ve loved every minute. We’ve been playing in venues with 50 or 60 people, and tonight we played to over 300. It was daunting, but really exciting. The people that vote are real fans of the band, which I think is great.”

Last but not least, I spoke to Richy Muirhead, the 22-year-old student behind the awards (kinda makes you feel inadequate, doesn’t it?). Unbelievably, the SAMAs began as an ambitious university project, and is still run single-handedly by Richy. He said: “Tonight has been so much fun. Everyone involved did an amazing job, and every winner deserves it - they worked really hard to get to where they are, and I hope to see all of them go further. The highlight of my night? Just now, because it’s finished! I need a rest!” As Richy catches his breath, countless ladies come up for a kiss on the cheek, and he’s bombarded by pats on the back and compliments about the night. Ally McCrae exclaims: “He’s the most handsome man in the room - look at that shirt!” Rather than bringing out the cynic in me, the schmoozing makes me smile. If the bosses over at the BRITs want me on side, they need to take a tip or two out of the SAMA textbook.

Over 8,700 votes were cast for the SAMAs. Here are the winners:

Best Electronic: Indian Red Lopez
Best Acoustic: Alan McKim
Best Rock Alternative Act: Little Eskimos
Best Metal: Zombie Militia
Best Live Act: Three Blind Wolves
Best Newcomers: Xavia

Visit sama11.co.uk for more info.
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