The 2016 awards ceremony took place tonight – here are the evening’s results….
Prog Magazine’s fifth annual Progressive Music Awards, in association with Currencies.co.uk, has once again honoured progressive music in the intimate and idyllic setting of the world famous Underglobe, beneath Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
The awards have become one of the best attended and most anticipated events in the musical calendar. From those acts making their first tentative forays into the wider musical world, to the prog overlords who have been there, done it and are now receiving a well deserved slap on the back for their endeavours.
Yes’ Jon Anderson was the evening’s guest of honour and recipient of the Prog God award, an accolade bestowed to the world’s music innovators and has been previously accepted by Rick Wakeman, Ian Anderson, Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks.
Anderson has one of the most recognisable voices in rock was the driving and creative force behind Yes, who have sold over 30 million albums. He found mainstream success between 1979 and 1991 through his collaboration with Vangelis, and the duo (known as Jon & Vangelis) released four acclaimed albums. Still creating music and touring, he recently released the album ‘Invention of Knowledge’ with Roine Stolt under the name Anderson / Stolt to huge acclaim, and after a 25 year hiatus, he has reunited with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman and will tour this definitive Yes line-up from October as ARW.
Hosted by the irrepressible broadcaster and prog superfan Matthew Wright, the evening celebrated and honoured the past, present and future of prog. From Trevor Horn collecting The Outer Limits award for his band The Buggles, and The Police’s Andy Summers winning the Guiding Light Award, through to some of the most exciting acts just breaking through such as The Anchoress and The Mute Gods who picked up the Limelight and Vanguard awards respectively. Big Big Train, who released their eighth studio album ‘Folklore’ in May of this year, were multiple winners on the night picking up Live Event for their Kings Place shows in London – their first live performances in 17 years, and Band of the Year.
The evening winners:
Limelight sponsored by K Scope – The Anchoress
Anthem sponsored by Teamrock.com – Riverside ‘Towards the Blue Horizon’
Live Event sponsored by The Stage – Big Big Train
Vanguard sponsored by The Ticket Factory – The Mute Gods
Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award sponsored by Chord Electronics – Anthony Phillips Esoteric Reissue Series
Album of the Year sponsored by Cherry Red and Esoteric Records – iamthemorning – ‘Lighthouse’
Band of the Year sponsored by Olympus – Big Big Train
The Outer Limits sponsored by Inside Out Music – Buggles
Chris Squire Virtuoso sponsored by Butlins (Giants of Rock) – Jakko Jakszyk (King Crimson)
Guiding Light sponsored by currencies.co.uk – Andy Summers
Visionary sponsored by Eagle Vision – Jon Hiseman (colosseum)
Lifetime Achievement sponsored by Prog Rocks – Van der Graaf Generator
Prog God – Jon Anderson
The Progressive Music Awards in association with currencies.co.uk, took place on September 1, at the Underglobe at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
“Chris Squire Virtuoso sponsored by Butlins (Giants of Rock) ” sort of lost this for me…….
Good morning Camper Van Beethoven?
Hi de Hi Who Am The Only One
Excellent!!
“the world famous Underglobe” – I read that and thought you were talking about some new prog act I’d never heard of (like the ludicrously named Huge Big Train, of whom I had never heard till a post around here a while back).
Admist it Bargie, you’re printing a press release again!
Ah well. Could have been worse. Could have been his World Famous Undercrackers.
Generally speaking, us male mammals have two Underglobes each. In our Undercrackers.
Yes, that’s why I put it in the noticeboard section.
touché….
😉
Lifetime achievement award for VdGG….maybe they really are winding it all up after the next album / tour….
Really hope not. Merlin Atmos shows them to be a band at the peak of their bus pass powers!
The definitive line-up of Yes? I think not
Good to see Jon saying that ARW is basically Yes, in another form, rather than the hideous tribute cash machine farce that Smeagol captains these days (That last bit was me by the way. Not Jon. He’s far too nice to say that).
I think you’ll find it’s The Yes.
That Anderson Ponty band stuff was miles better than Anderson Stott yet doesn’t seem to have got a look in anywhere.
I for one disagree. APB was patchy, but good overall quality. The Anderson Stolt album was superb in the true progressive spirit of classic Anderson Yes.
Maybe I should give Anderson Stolt a bit more time then.
Listened to quite a few shows from the Anderson Ponty tour and they really hummed.
It’s worth giving it that. I love it. Best thing Jon’s done since Open. I’ve only heard the APB album, rather than various live shows (?), which I do like, but more original group material would have made it better.
It’s a bit like the Q awards giving out lots of awards for being old and still with us.
Prog God
Lifetime Achievement
Visionary
Guiding Light etc
I think Jethro Tull cannily predicted the rise of the ‘Old Guys Still Around And Willing To Pop Along To Pick Up An Award’ era…
Hair stands high on the cat’s back like
A ridge of threatening hills
Sheepdogs howl, make tracks and growl
Their tails hanging low
And young children falter in their games
At the altar of life’s hide-and-seek
Between tall pillars, where sunday-night killers
In grey raincoats peek
I’ll be coming again like an old dog in pain
Blown through the eye of the hurricane
Down to the stones where old ghosts play
(Instrumental)
Misty colours unfold a backcloth cold
Fine tapestry of silk
I draw around me like a cloak
And soundless glide a-drifting
On eddies whirled in beech leaves furled
Brown and gold they fly
In the warm mesh of sunlight
Sifting now from a cloudless sky
I’ll be coming again like an old dog in pain
Blown through the eye of the hurricane
Down to the stones where old ghosts play
Yes I’ll be coming again like an old dog in pain
Blown through the eye of the hurricane
Down to the stones where old ghosts play
Good to see I Am The Morning recognised for best album. I had that down on a top three album of the year thread a little while back.
Big Big Train and Riverside are both worthy winners too.
Some of the awards are a bit contrived I have to say. Buggles for gawd sake!
Nothing for Steven Wilson this year then?