So Thursday night was indeed the night! In Glasgow Garage last night it was the third instalment of the SAMAS. After receiving over 17,000 votes from the public and what looked to be a great night ahead of us there was indeed an air of excitement in the place as we entered. Walking in just as Vukovi were hitting the stage, I’d briefly seen then before supporting Fatherson at their EP launch in King Tuts last summer. Listening to their recordings they had not quite been my things but seeing them live made me realise that they can indeed cut it. Singer Janine’s voice manages to stay strong over the noisy music and manages to keep a strong stage presence. They manage to mix heavy breakdown riffs with clever melodies they set a high bar to start the show.
Photo by Emily Wylde.
After this our kilted host Billy Kirkwood hit the stage to announce the first round of nominees and winners, joined by Ally Mccrae of Detour and BBC Introducing fame (who was able to announce that the event had in fact sold out!) The first category to be announced was best acoustic, where a lot of eyes seemed to be on Beerjacket to win but Largs’ own Brown Bear and the Bandits came through on top. Best Hip Hop went to Madhat McGore, giving that its a genre that I myself don’t listen to/follow it was interesting to see how much of a following it has as a niche market in Scotland. This was followed by one of the (not so) secret performances by Madhat McGore them/himself. Having never seen a hip Hop act perform in my life before it was interesting to see how things came together live.
Photo by Emily Wylde.
Next up to the podium was Vic Galloway (rocking a full tweed suit) to award the best Electronic and best Live Act. Electronic music is a genre I merely dabble in but do quite like some of it. Fridge Magnets took the award despite some stiff competition from other nominees. Best live act was one that was an interesting one in that there was a lot of great acts who put on a great show up for awards. In the end it was Edinburgh’s own We Were Promised Jetpacks who unfortunately were not able to collect the awards themselves but their manager Jamie Gilmour was on hand to collect it on their behalf. Fridge Magnets then took to the stage, and gave quite the performance! One gripe I have a electronic music live is that a lot of it is programmed and sample based but not so much in this case. A full band was present and gave a good energetic preformance that even got some fans at the from jumping along at the front.
Jim Gellatly was next to present the awards for best Metal and best Rock/Alternative. Metal is again a genre that I only have a smattering of knowledge on, Ten Tonne Dozer (cool name I’ll give them that) who’d come all the way from Shetland took the award. Best Rock/Alternative meanwhile went to Kilmarnock’s Fatherson, who then gave a performance. This was about the sixth time I’d seen the band now and every time they do not disappoint. Opening with upcoming single Firstborn this was one of the highlights of the night for me, seeing a victorious band rip the stage although it wouldn’t be the last time that night…
Photo by Emily Wylde.
For the final award event organiser Richy Muirhead (or Justin Beiber as Billy called him) was invited to present the best Newcomer award. After a short speech, it was Edinburgh indie scamps Bwani Junction who took took the award, who then took the stage to close the evening. Having missed the band on a few occasions I was looking forward to seeing them. Showcasing brilliant musicianship alongside some excellent songs it was almost magical. My friend and bandmate (who might have had a few too many beers) turned to me and exclaimed “It’s like being on safari.” Which thinking about it I see what he means, the band always seem to be compared to Vampire Weekend you can hear the “afro-beat” influence along with a smattering of Bombay Bicycle Club. The stand out song was definitely the closing song Two Bridges. When that guitar break hit, I’d be surprised to not see a smile on someone’s face.
Photo by Emily Wylde.
After a great evening we hit Bar Bloc for one of the after parties where we managed to catch nominees Miniature Dinosaurs, who certainly seemed to be able to belt out a tune. Looking back on the night it had been an excellent celebration of Scottish talent and an even better showcase of it! I think Richie sums it up best here, “Last night was such a buzz! It was so great to see everyone come together and support the Scottish music scene, the entire atmosphere was electric. The event featured so many diverse acts from hip hop, rock, and electronic backgrounds which was something I’d personally wanted to do – which everyone seemed to really enjoy!”
The winners were (just to save people reading through all the text again):
Best Live Act, sponsored by Messer Schmitt : We Were Promised Jetpacks
Best Rock/Alternative, sponsored by Ignite Records : Fatherson
Best Electronic, sponsored by Bar Bloc : Fridge Magnets
Best Newcomer, sponsored by Cathouse Glasgow : Bwani Junction
Best Metal, sponsored by Departed Apparel : Ten Tonne Dozer
Best Hip Hop, sponsored by Young Scot : Madhat McGore
Best Acoustic, sponsored by JamHut Studios : Brown Bear & The Bandits
I think I speak for everyone when I say “Mon the SAMAS 2013!”
The Practice Room 