Lisa Sutlieff's Blog

Posted by Lisa Sutlieff

With 2009's music awards season over for another year, Indie Suite takes the opportunity to summarise the best and worst indie moments and offers you the chance to find out more about some of the best indie artists in 2008 / 2009 at the Grammy Awards, the Brit Awards and the NME Awards.

The Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards saw a British invasion in 2009 as British alternative rockers Coldplay stormed the awards. Meanwhile it was also a great year for soloists Duffy and Adele who both featured heavily at the awards for their respective best-selling albums Rockferry and Chasing Pavements. Check out these Coldplay articles to find out exactly what the British boys have been up to this year and why they deserved the coveted awards of Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, and Song of the Year for 'Viva La Vida'.

Read this review of Coldplay's Prospekt's March EP, the follow up to the worldwide chart-topping album Viva La Vida, or Death and All His Friends.

Read about Coldplay's announcement of massive stadium dates in 2009 in London, Manchester and Glasgow

Read about rumours of a shock split proposed for 2010 that shook Coldplay fans' worlds. Was it just a publicity stunt or is there some weight to the rumours? You decide.

The Brit Awards

By contrast, Coldplay were emphatically snubbed at the UK's Brit Awards in Feb, where they won none of the 4 categories in which they were shortlisted. The Killers' Brandon Flowers presented a notable and long awaited Outstanding Contribution award to the Pet Shop Boys.

Meanwhile Indie Suite favourites Kings of Leon picked up two awards for Best Album for Only By the Night and Best Group. But British indie kids Razorlight and Snow Patrol failed to make any impression on any major awards ceremonies for their albums Slipway Fires and A Hundred Million Suns.

Check out this review of the Kings of Leon's Only By the Night

See how close Indie Suite got to predicting the winners and losers of this year's Brit Awards in these two articles:

Look at the movers and shakers in the international section in Brit Awards 2009 Discussed

Look at the nominees and potential winners on the British side of the pond in Brit Awards 2009 Explored

The NME Awards

The UK's so called 'tastemaking' awards, the NME awards 2009, were surely the biggest joke of the season, with the magazine clearly trying to re-capture its '90s heyday by, yet again, worshipping Oasis, Ian Brown and, yawn, Paul Weller, amongst others. They also bizarrely gave awards to politicians (er...ok), celebrated the same bands and albums in both its 'best' and 'worst' categories, and generally made a mockery of itself. Handclaps all round. Although Indie Suite was pleased to see MGMT getting some recognition for their awesome debut Oracular Spectacular, it was one of those 'please make it stop' events, from which, no doubt, the NME will learn absolutely nothing.

Check out Indie Suite's profile of the Brooklyn duo MGMT.

Posted by Lisa Sutlieff

Sundays on Channel 4's T4 will never feel quite the same following the hugely exciting climax of 2008/9's Orange Unsigned Act competition, the UK's top talent scouting competition for unsigned artists, which saw the lovable Scottish singer/songwriter Tommy Reilly taking the £60,000 cash prize and record deal with major label Universal.

Alex James, Lauren Laverne and Simon Gavin presided over the judges' side of the competition before handing the last 5 acts over to the public vote. From 50 acts to the lucky 10 that went on the national tour, and from there to January's deserving winner, Orange Unsigned Act was intense, ruthless, and always ready to surprise.

Want to relive the memories? Can't wait for Orange Unsigned Act 2009/10? Check out Suite 101's best articles and interviews from live backstage at the competition and get absorbed in what was the UK's biggest indie event this winter.

Tommy Reilly interviews and gig review- Glasweigan singer/ songwriter and winner of Orange Unsigned Act on all things Tommy

Tommy Reilly: Thoughts on the Final Four

Tommy Reilly: Scott Mills, Alex James & Britpop

Tommy Reilly: Parties, Pressure and London Life

Tommy Reilly: New Album and Best Scottish Bands

Tommy Reilly: Backstage, Plans, Sell Out Shows

Tommy Reilly Gig Review from Proud in Camden

Hip Parade interviews - Glasweigan indie rockers with attitude and runners up in the Orange Unsigned Act competition

Hip Parade: Gingerness, Sell-Out Shows and Fame

Hip Parade: Scottish Music and Female Fans

Hip Parade: Blue Monday, Bands and Tommy Reilly

Hip Parade: All About the Audience

Scarlet Harlots interview - Birmingham punk/ dub band that nearly caused an upset but took a respectable third place

Scarlet Harlots: Exclusive Interview

Toby Sebastian interviews, articles and gig review - the 16 year old "babyfaced assassin" wowed audiences with his accomplished guitar work and melodic tunes

Toby Sebastian Gig Review (read about Indie Music Suite 101's first discovery of the Oxford singer/songwriter)

Toby Sebastian: Spanish Beginnings

Toby Sebastian: Oxford and Orange Unsigned Act

Toby Sebastian: Orange Unsigned Act and Ambition

Or read this Toby Sebastian profile article about Toby and the UK's premier indie talent scouting competition.