2024 marks the first year that Nordoff & Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity, have hosted their Northern Music Awards, choosing Manchester’s Albert Hall as their home. It also marks the charity’s 20th anniversary of work, founded in 2004, a feat they are celebrating by raising funds to open a permanent, multi-disciplinary Greater Manchester centre as a space for music and therapy in Salford. Joined by northern icons, acclaimed artists, industry figures, and some surprising stars, Nordoff & Robbins commended some of the best regions and acts in UK music in the past year.
Opening the show was one of BBC 6 Music’s Artists of the Year, Antony Szmierek, who urged his audience to “remember what the music did” in an atmospheric, brand-new piece on the power of music written especially for the occasion. Band on the Wall, a Manchester venue beloved by many (and one that Szmierek himself performed at for BBC Introducing in 2023) won the ‘Inspirational Venue of the Year’ award alongside Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club, demonstrating that this particular awards show didn’t function to inflate the ego of mega-stars, but to shine a light on small venues and their teams who help to bring us the gigs we love.
“It’s always been Manchester for me”, DJ Paulette proclaimed as she picked up the award for DJ of the Year. In January, she published her book Welcome to the Club with Manchester University Press and has continuously been a mainstay in the Manchester club scene throughout her 30-year career after originating as one of the Haçienda’s first female DJs. Concluding her speech, Paulette informed the audience that she is “proud to represent Manchester, black Manchester, every day of my life:” and it’s about time that she received recognition for this.
As the second live act of the night, Leeds four-piece English Teacher gave a gorgeous rendition of ‘Albatross’, the opener of their stunning debut album This Could Be Texas, alongside its tear-jerker of a closer ‘Albert Road’. Towards the end of the latter, lead singer Lily Fontaine effortlessly belted the high note which acts as the song’s climax. This brief but astounding performance cemented just how deserving they are of an award such as Breakthrough Act of the Year.
Perhaps surprisingly, Albert Hall’s crowd seemed well-acquainted with Warrington’s The K’s already, reciting every word of fan favourite ‘Chancer’. It’s easy to see why this band, in particular, is gaining popularity so swiftly: ‘Chancer’ is the epitome of a fizzy, catchy indie song à la The Snuts, The Royston Club, and The Sherlocks, all bands who have enjoyed similar success in their field by providing audiences with textbook yet stimulating and exciting tales of nights out, romance, and spontaneity.
Once Middleton legends Courteeners had won Band of the Year (announced by none other than Gary Neville), lead singer and local hero Liam Fray took to the stage, aptly covering Oasis’ ‘The Masterplan’ and explaining how he felt the song encapsulated the “warmth” of northern music. Following this cover, Fray performed an acoustic version of his own biggest hit, ‘Not Nineteen Forever’. The definition of an indie classic – received well by young and old alike as chants of “Liam, Liam, Liam” echoed throughout the venue.
In a statement before the awards, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said he is “so proud that the Northern Music Awards will be taking place in the heart of the city centre,” reflecting a sentiment many local musicians are likely to share. On the night, he was originally greeted by a jeering, heckling audience, before eventually winning them over by lauding Manchester as “the music capital of the world.”
Introduced by Burnham as “true Rochdale royalty” and “the real queen of the north,” Northern Icon winner Lisa Stansfield closed the night with a four-song set of her biggest hits. While she undeniably has an impressive voice and brilliant charisma, it was difficult to witness her performance without thinking of how dated her songs sounded. Met with awkward, dispassionate shimmies from middle-aged audience members, it became evident that even if she may not be past her prime, both her songs and her fanbase are. 1989’s smash hit ‘All Around The World’, however, brought a unifying moment of joy to end the night, bringing the audience together in spirited recitations of “I, I, I, I can’t find my baby” and finishing her set on a high.
Despite winners Louis Tomlinson (Artist of the Year), Aitch (Music Moment of the Year), and Melanie C (Special Recognition) being unable to attend, the Northern Music Awards were overall a wonderful way of celebrating the best of the North’s culture. In Melanie’s own words, “All the best music comes from the north,” so here’s to hoping these awards return annually to celebrate it.
