Stormzy, The xx and Nick Cave winners at AIM Awards

The 2017 AIM Awards took place last night, Tuesday, 5 September, at East London’s The Brewery. Organised by the Association of Independent Music to highlight the UK’s vibrant independent sector, this year’s event was hosted by MistaJam and Clara Amfo and saw performances by British rapper Dave and breakout indie-rockers Public Service Broadcasting, plus a list of winners that included big names, future stars and heroes of the independent music community.

Last year’s Innovator Award winner Stormzy won Album Of The Year for his chart-topping debut ‘Gang Signs And Prayer’ as well as the PPL Award For Most Played New Independent Artist. Sampha won Independent Breakthrough Of The Year for his own debut album ‘Process’, released on Young Turks – the same label that released ‘On Hold’ by Independent Track Of The Year winners The xx.



As always, the AIM Awards paid tribute to perennially hard-working independent labels. Because Music – home to Christine And The Queens and Major Lazer – picked up Independent Label Of The Year; long-running, boundary-pushing electronic music label Planet Mu won Best Small Label; and Katie Riding and Joe Daniel claimed the Indie Champion Award for their successful Independent Label Market concept.

Following their takeover of the O2 Arena at the end of August, the Innovator Award went to grime collective Boy Better Know, made up of JME, Skepta, Wiley, Jammer, Frisco, Solo 45, Shorty and Maximum, plus agent Rebecca Prochnik and manager Sam.

There were big names from the music world present to hand out the awards. Jarvis Cocker presented his fellow Sheffield music trailblazer Warp Records’ Steve Beckett with the Pioneer Award, while icons of heavy music The Dillinger Escape Plan were awarded the Outstanding Contribution To Music gong by Rou from Enter Shikari and BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show host Dan P Carter. Rising star Ray BLK, Rinse FM’s Maya Jama and previous AIM Award winning rapper Ghetts handed Stormzy his awards.

Donations were collected at the 2017 AIM Awards for charity partner Youth Music, the leading national charity providing music-making opportunities every year for over 75,000 children experiencing challenging circumstances, including poverty, mental health issues and family problems.

BEST SMALL LABEL: PLANET MU

BEST LIVE ACT: COUNTERFEIT

INDEPENDENT BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR: SAMPHA

HARDEST WORKING GROUP OR ARTIST: SHAODOW

SPECIAL CATALOGUE RELEASE OF THE YEAR: LOVELY CREATURES: THE BEST OF NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (1984 – 2014)

BEST ‘DIFFICULT’ SECOND ALBUM: JLIN – BLACK ORIGAMI

GOLDEN WELLY AWARD FOR BEST INDEPENDENT FESTIVAL: LOST EVENINGS

INDIE CHAMPION AWARD: KATIE RIDING & JOE DANIEL – INDEPENDENT LABEL MARKET

INDEPENDENT TRACK OF THE YEAR: THE XX – ON HOLD

INDEPENDENT VIDEO OF THE YEAR: DJ SHADOW – NOBODY SPEAK (FT. RUN THE JEWELS)

PPL AWARD FOR MOST PLAYED NEW INDEPENDENT ACT: STORMZY

INDEPENDENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR: STORMZY – GANG SIGNS & PRAYER

INDEPENDENT LABEL OF THE YEAR: BECAUSE MUSIC

INNOVATOR AWARD: BOY BETTER KNOW

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC: THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

PIONEER AWARD: STEVE BECKETT – WARP RECORDS