Shortlisted nominations for the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2017 have been announced today (Tuesday 7th November). Heralded as the most prestigious award ceremony in the traditional music calendar, the winners will be revealed during a glitzy award ceremony on Saturday 2nd December, at Paisley’s Lagoon Centre as Paisley bids for UK City of Culture 2021.
Organising body Hands Up for Trad today unveiled the shortlist via Facebook live, and will hand out a total of sixteen awards to the best trad talent throughout Scotland’s bustling industry. Voting for the shortlisted acts will be open from today, Tuesday 7th November, until 24th November and votes can be cast online via www.scotstradmusicawards.com.
The night will be jam-packed with live performances from The Shee Big Band, who are roping in honorary Shees from throughout their eleven years to join them on stage, as well as performances from nominees Elephant Sessions and Siobhan Miller, making it a must-see event. Tickets are available now, and can be purchased by calling 0300 300 1210 or visiting www.paisley2021.co.uk. They can also be bought directly from Paisley Arts Centre.
The Album of the Year (sponsored by Birnam CD) is one of the most sought-after awards and competition is stiff this year, with 10 nominees all vying for the top spot including Elephant Sessions, Mànran, and Ímar, alongside Ryan Young who last year won the Up and Coming Artist of the Year award.
Oban Live and the Killin Music Festival are among the nominees for the Event of the Year category (sponsored by VisitScotland), while Community Project of the Year (sponsored by Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust) nods to Tiree Songbook and EPL Events, among others.
Elephant Sessions, Ímar, Tide Lines and Skippinish make up the shortlist for Live Act of the Year (sponsored by Greentrax), and Gnoss, Hò-rò, Heron Valley, Inyal and Brighde Chaimbeul all compete for the Up and Coming Artist of the Year (sponsored by the Royal Scottish Conservatoire) category. A full list of nominees is below.
Hands Up for Trad exists to promote Scottish traditional music through education, information and advocacy to artists, audiences and participants throughout Scotland and beyond.
Event founder and promoter, Simon Thoumire, said: “A massive congratulations to all of our shortlisted nominees – we can’t wait to welcome them to Paisley for the ceremony. We want to say a huge thanks to everyone who has voted – with such a wealth of amazing Trad talent in Scotland, we’re sure it wasn’t an easy task. Hands Up for Trad are dedicated to showcasing the level of talent in this country, and the awards are a real highlight in the calendar each year. We can’t wait for an unmissable night of live music on Saturday 2nd December – make sure you get involved!”
Murdo MacSween, Communications Manager for the event’s title sponsor, MG ALBA, said: “The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards showcase Scotland’s world-class musical talent. We at MG ALBA are immensely proud to support that – and delighted that Scotland’s talent gets the broadcast platform it deserves on BBC ALBA.”
Paisley 2021 bid director Jean Cameron said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the MG ALBA Scots Trad Awards to Paisley for the first time for what I am sure will be a memorable evening.
The town already has really strong links with the Scottish trad scene – several of the shortlisted acts played sell-out shows at our annual Spree festival this October, and we recently found out we are due to welcome the Royal National Mòd back to Paisley in either 2021 or 2022.
December’s awards night couldn’t come at a better time for us – with the announcement over whether we will be named UK City of Culture 2021 expected later that month. Our congratulations go to everyone who has made the shortlist and we look forward to offering a warm Paisley welcome.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotland, said: “At home and abroad, this has been a fantastic year for Scotland’s traditional music scene. Our finest artists have had festival tents jumping and radio airwaves buzzing, winning awards and embracing new audiences everywhere they go. Stars of the future have taken big leaps forward while the veterans who paved the way have enriched our culture even further. The sheer breadth of their talent is celebrated at the Scots Trad Music Awards, which Creative Scotland is delighted to support through Hands Up For Trad. Best of luck to all the nominees.”
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES:
Album of the Year sponsored by Birnam CDs
- • Afterlight by Ímar
- • All We Have Is Now by Elephant Sessions
- • An Dà Là – The Two Days by Mànran
- • An Dàn – Gaelic Songs for a Modern World by Mary Ann Kennedy
- • Bere by Saltfishforty
- • Fiddle + Guitar by Ross Couper + Tom Oakes
- • Mac Ile by The Islay Sessioners
- • Room with a View by Old Blind Dogs
- • Ryan Young by Ryan Young
- • Strata by Siobhan Miller
Community Project of the Year sponsored by Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust
- • EPL events (Angus)
- • SCaT (Aberdeen)
- • Fun Fiddle (Edinburgh)
- • Tiree Songbook
Composer of the Year sponsored by PRS for Music
- • Adam Sutherland
- • Ailie Robertson
- • Lauren MacColl
- • Angus MacPhail
- • Aidan O’Rourke
Live Act of the Year sponsored by Greentrax Recordings
- • Elephant Sessions
- • Ímar
- • Tide Lines
- • Skipinnish
Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association
- • Hannah Rarity
- • Iona Fyfe
- • Siobhan Miller
- • Claire Hastings
- • Blue Rose Code
Up and Coming Artist Award sponsored by Royal Scottish Conservatoire
- • Gnoss
- • Hò-rò
- • Heron Valley
- • Inyal
- • Brighde Chaimbeul
Music Tutor of the Year sponsored by Creative Scotland
- • Emma Tomlinson
- • Keith Dickson
- • Dave Martin
- • James Alexander
- • Pippa Reid-Foster
Gaelic Singer of the Year sponsored by Macmeanmna
- • Mary Ann Kennedy
- • Alasdair Whyte
- • Calum Alex MacMillan
- • Robert Robertson
Folk Band of the Year sponsored by Threads of Sound
- • Fara
- • Josie Duncan and Pablo Lafuente
- • Routes Quartet
- • Talisk
Dance Band of the Year sponsored by National Association of Box and Fiddle Clubs
- • Duncan Black Band
- • James Coutts Scottish Dance Band
- • John Carmichael Ceilidh Band
- • David Halcrow Band
Scottish Pipe Band of the Year sponsored by The Glenturret Single Malt Whisky
- • Inveraray & District Pipe Band
- • Royal Mail Burgh of Annan Pipe Band
- • Lochalsh Junior Pipe Band
- • Dollar Academy Pipe Band
Club of the Year sponsored by Tradition Arts and Culture Scotland
- • Edinburgh Folk Club
- • Arc Sessions (Fochabers)
- • Clydesdale Accordion Club (Lanark)
- • Campsie Accordion & Fiddle Club
Instrumentalist of the Year sponsored by Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
- • Jennifer Wrigley
- • Roisin Ann Hughes
- • Paul Anderson
- • Gary Innes
- • Maeve Gilchrist
Event of the Year sponsored by VisitScotland
- • Killin Music Festival
- • International Harp Festival (Edinburgh)
- • Oban Live
- • A Night For Angus (Shooglenifty at Celtic Connections)
- • Wind Resistance (Karine Polwart)
Trad Music in the Media sponsored by Skipinnish
- • BBC Radio nan Gaidheal A’ Mire ri Mòir
- • BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
- • TradTV
- • Seirm (Bees Nees Media)
Venue of the Year sponsored by Musicians’ Union
- • An Lanntair (Stornoway)
- • Tolbooth (Stirling)
- • Knoydart Community Hall
- • Glassel Hall (Aberdeenshire)
