The nominations for the VO5 NME Awards 2017 have been announced in full with the likes of Biffy Clyro, Wolf Alice, Radiohead, Frank Ocean and Beyoncé all up for gongs.
The shortlist proves to be an eclectic mix honouring a genre-spanning selection of 2016’s best and of course worst. The 1975's dominating presence through 2016 is certified by many nods across the major categories including Best Album and Best British Band where they will go head on with Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, Years & Years, The Last Shadow Puppets and Bastille.
The Best International Band category will see Tame Impala, Metallica, A Tribe Called Quest, Green Day, Kings of Leon and Tegan and Sara battle it out, whereas Best International Female is occupied by both Solange and Beyonce Knowles as well as Lady Gaga, Sia, Tove Lo and upcoming megastar Christine & The Queens. The Best International Male category is largely dominated by figures from the Rap and R’n’B world including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Kanye West and Chance The Rapper.
Beyoncé's triumph 'Lemonade' has fueled an array of nominations for the Texan superstar including Best Album, Best Music Moment, Hero of the year, Best international female and Best Video. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the awards take aim at American and British politics with Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and David Cameron all up for the villain of the year award. The award's cheeky digs also extends to the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer and The Chainsmokers who are both up for worst band alongside Honey G.
The awards launched in style at a nominations party last night (12th January) at London Omeara with Biffy Clyro providing a thrilling live set at the centre of festivities. Although, only armed with acoustic instruments, the three-piece are equipped with an unmatched showmanship and a hit-packed snappy set.
The Biff prove that the bare bones of their songs can work after the prosthetics and bombast of their huge shows are shed. “Don’t worry I’ve always got this if it gets too rowdy,” Simon Neil explains whilst giving the audience a whiff of his distortion pedal. He proceeds to lead the group into the subtle acoustics of ‘God and Satan’, which reminds the audience of Clyro's uncanny ability for balladry. The group throw in ‘The Captain’, ‘Mountains’, ‘Biblical’ and epic newbie 'Medicine' too. Always epic, even in the acoustic and intimate format, Biffy pop their expertise out of the epic mould and back into the spirit of humble beginnings again.
The VO5 NME Awards 2017 take place at Brixton Academy on February 15th at London O2 Academy Brixton. Voting is now open. See the nominations list in full below.
