13 September 2018
Newsdesk
Q Magazine has unveiled the nominations for the Q Awards 2018 in association with Absolute Radio. The Q Awards, now in their 28th year, is one of the most prestigious and anticipated nights on the music calendar. Following the massive success of the awards’ new format in 2016 and 2017, the Q Awards will again feature a very special intimate post-awards gig. This year, the already sold-out show will see two top British acts take to the stage – London’s Wolf Alice and Bristol’s IDLES, who have both seen vast amounts of success over the last 12 months. The awards and gig will take place on Wednesday, 17 October at Camden’s Roundhouse.
Leading the nominations this year are British punks IDLES, global pop sensation The 1975, American singer, songwriter and rapper Janelle Monae, French synth-pop auteur Christine & The Queens, British rockers Arctic Monkeys and South London’s Goat Girl. They receive two nominations each, including Q Best Solo Artist and Q Best Album among others.
Also nominated in the prestigious Q Best Album category is experimental duo Let’s Eat Grandma who were nominated as Best Breakthrough at the Q Awards 2016 and now are praised for their second album I’m All Ears. It will once again be a hotly contested award: the other nominees are Interpol, Anna Calvi and Noel Gallagher who join Arctic Monkeys and IDLES to complete the category.
Renowned for celebrating new and emerging artists, the Q Best Breakthrough Act presented by Red Stripe category is bursting with incredible talent from a diverse spectrum of genres. This year’s list includes the likes of punk band Amyl & The Sniffers who are said to be possessed by the spirit of seventies Aussie rock, Brixton guitar gang Goat Girl, indie-soul newcomer Tom Grennan, Manchester grime rapper Bugzy Malone, indie four-piece The Magic Gang, LGBTQ trailblazer Nakhane and English grime MC and producer Novelist. Having earned an early reputation for her unique rich and soulful voice is Nadine Shah along side British singer songwriter Jorja Smith whose jazz-tinged cadence and heartfelt lyrics invoke names like Lauren Hill and Alicia Keys. Completing the Best Breakthrough Act category are critically acclaimed punk band IDLES who are also up for prestigious Best Album, a combination which is extremely rare.
A year after his first Q Award nomination, rap phenomenon Kendrick Lamar is nominated for the coveted Best Act In The World Today presented by Rocksteady Music School along-side pop heavy weights The 1975, arena indie rockers Arctic Monkeys and Florence and the Machine, generational spokesperson and mod-father Paul Weller and 2017 nominated experimental rock hero St. Vincent.
The Q Best Live Act presented by The Cavern Club features David Byrne, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Liam Gallagher, Stefflon Don, Taylor Swift and the Q Awards 2018 gig headliners Wolf Alice whilst the Q Best Track award presented by Firestone will be fought out by Love It If We Made It by The 1975, Girlfriend by Christine & The Queens, The Man by Goat Girl, Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae, Bells & Circles by Underworld & Iggy Pop and the provactive and enigmatic This Is America by Childish Gambino.
The Editor of Q Magazine, Ted Kessler, commented: “I love these shortlists and I love the Q readership even more for supplying them. We’ve thought for a while at Q that in a digital world where streaming music is so ubiquitous, the old barriers between musical genres are meaningless. All that matters is whether a song has power, or if an artist makes something to become lost within. These shortlists, where Janelle Monáe’s future-funk rubs shoulders with Goat Girl’s garage-punk in Best Track, or where Kendrick Lamar could just as easily be the Best Act In The World Today as Paul Weller, prove that. Unlike some music awards, artists are not nominated by their representatives, nor is there a fee to be paid upon entry. It’s decided by the readers and the writers of Q alone, and consequently these shortlists represent the very best of music now. I can’t wait for the winners to be revealed on 17 October at the Roundhouse.”
The public can cast their votes and choose the winners for the following categories over at www.Qthemusic.com – with voting closing on Thursday, 5 October.
Q Breakthrough Act presented by Red Stripe
Q Best Track presented by Firestone
Q Best Album
Q Best Live Act presented by The Cavern Club
Q Best Solo Artist
Q Best Act In The World Today presented by Rocksteady Music School
Q Best Festival/Event presented by Pretty Green Clothing
Full list of nominees as follows:
Q Breakthrough Act presented by Red Stripe
Amyl & The Sniffers
Goat Girl
Tom Grennan
The Magic Gang
IDLES
Bugzy Malone
Nakhane
Novelist
Nadine Shah
Jorja Smith
Rejjie Snow
Q Best Track presented by Firestone
Love It If We Made It – The 1975
This Is America – Childish Gambino
Girlfriend – Christine & The Queens
The Man – Goat Girl
Make Me Feel – Janelle Monae
Bells & Circles - Underworld & Iggy Pop
Q Best Album
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino – Arctic Monkeys
Hunter - Anna Calvi
Who Built The Moon? – Noel Gallagher
Joy As An Act Of Resistance - IDLES
Marauder - Interpol
I’m All Ears – Let’s Eat Grandma
Q Best Live Act presented by The Cavern Club
David Byrne
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Liam Gallagher
Stefflon Don
Taylor Swift
Wolf Alice
Q Best Solo Artist presented by Absolute Radio
Christine & The Queens
Drake
Noel Gallagher
Janelle Monae
Ed Sheeran
Sophie
Q Best Act In The World Today presented by Rocksteady Music School
The 1975
Arctic Monkeys
Florence & The Machine
Kendrick Lamar
St Vincent
Paul Weller
Q Best Festival/Event presented by Pretty Green Clothing
All Points East
British Summertime
Isle Of Wight Festival
Latitude Festival
RIZE Festival
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