LWM AWARDS 2017 – THE WINNERS

Listen With Monger Awards 2017 - The Winners

Here it is then, the definitive list of the winners for Listen With Monger for 2017. Remember, the only rules are that the artist must have featured on the blog in 2017 and they can’t have won the specific award before. And for all those that were shortlisted but didn't win, prepare your best proud-of-your-friends faces. Finally, thanks to all those that have sent music in to be judged and reviewed this year - keep it coming in 2018, alright? 

Oh, one more thing, there's a Spotify playlist featuring a track from all of the winners at the end of this so check that out while you're wrapping your presesnts - it's a treat. Right, let's go...

Best Band Name 2017
Playboy Manbaby - Best Band Name

WINNER - PLAYBOY MANBABY: Strong work from the musical community this with some truly outstanding work but in the year that nonagenarian sleazeball Hugh Hefner finally snuffed it, it seemed fitting that Phoenix crazies Playboy Manbaby should get this coveted, nay, glittering prize.

Notable Mentions:
BITCH FALCON // SHOTGUN SAWYER // MANNEQUIN DEATH SQUAD // BABEPUNCH // VELVET VOLUME // DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA

2016 Winner – Yes Babez! / Taco Hell / Queen of Jeans
2015 Winner – Get Inuit / Rangleklods



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Best Band (UK) 2017
Rews - UK Band of the Year


WINNER – REWS: There’s no denying that melodic rock duo Rews have delivered on their promise in 2017 and the singles that built up to their debut album were fantastic but then there was that debut album, ‘Pyro’. It is awesome in every sense and fuses the rock power of Royal Blood with sugar-sweet melodies and hooks bigger than a Halloween abattoir. Hands down 2017 belongs to Rews and 2018 might become their bitch too.

Notable Mentions:
WILDWOOD KIN // BEACH RIOT // CASSELS // FELIX HAGAN & THE FAMILY // LIFE // REVEREND & THE MAKERS // SOUND OF THE SIRENS

2016 Winner – Narcs / Berries
2015 Winner - Allusondrugs

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Best Band (International) 2017 
Parekh & Singh - International Band of the Yaear


WINNER – PARKEH & SINGH (India): This was a tight one as Prophets of Rage brought strong game but the Kolkata duo are not only fronting a bit of a movement in their native country. The pair’s stylish and understated indie-pop is matched only by their cool attire and steely determination. Expect them to appear in a Richard Ayoade film any day now and then become darlings of the BBC 6Music playlist.

Notable Mentions:
BALAKO // CHARLY BLISS // FAST ROMANTICS // LITTLE HURRICANES // PROPHETS OF RAGE // THE DARTS // VELVET VOLUME //

2016 Winner – The Watanabes (Japan)
2015 Winner – Failure Machine (USA)

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Best Band (South West) 2017
The Malthusian - Southwest Band of the Year


WINNER - THE MALTHUSIAN TRAP: Plymouth based trio the Malthusian Trap started the year chatting to me in the back yard of a packed pub talking of their artistic ambitions and the standards they set for themselves. They went on to tour Germany, play throughout the UK and win over the hearts and minds of the masses whilst never deviating from their goal to create something meaningful and creative. 2017 was their year for sure.

Notable Mentions:
AUCTION FOR THE PROMISE CLUB // FLASHES // HARBOTTLE & JONAS // HYPOPHORA // LGM ONE // // THE VIEWERS //

2016 Winner – Wildwood Kin
2015 Winner – Lost Dawn / Sound of the Sirens


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Best Solo Female (UK) 2017
Poppy Ackroyd - Best UK Female Solo

WINNER – POPPY ACKROYD: I’m so delighted at how difficult this category was as it is a great representation of how healthy the UK music scene is in the hands of strong, independent women. More importantly, it shows the diversity on offer and Poppy Ackroyd encapsulates that strength, independence and diversity beautifully with her neo-classical moodscapes that have genuinely moved me to tears in a seriously uplifting way. I could have comfortably picked any of the shortlist to win this but Ackroyd just pips it for being so utterly original in her approach and for the impact she had on the group of Year 10 kids I got to guest review the song earlier in the year. 

Notable Mentions:
PIP HALL // LOTS HOLLOWAY // MS MOHAMMED // BRYDE // KATE TEMPEST  

2016 Winner – Joanna Cooke / Lulu James
2015 Winner – Malka

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DeQn Sue - Best International Solo Female

Best Solo Female (International) 2017


WINNER - DEQN SUE: Sure, it’s a strong category, but US musician DeQn Sue was leading from the start with a series of stand-out singles that built up to a superb debut album. Mixing soul, pop, indie and R’n’B with a truly unique approach was always going to turn heads. Wearing a hat made of Lego is guaranteed to turn the heads of anyone left in doubt.

Notable Mentions:

ANGIE // MAYA KILLTRON // AIDA // BULOW // KAT FRANKIE



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Best Solo Female (South West) 2017 
Rosie The Crow - Best South West Female Solo


WINNER - ROSIE THE CROW: Cornish based Rosie The Crow is stretching the definition of a solo-artist as she has a consistent backing band of two but It’s her voice and the melodies she creates that put her at the top of the pile for 2017. In particular, recent single ‘Invisible’ is an intimate account of the realisation that a relationship is over the deserves a bigger audience.

Notable Mentions:


EILIDH SINCLAIR // // SADIE HORLER // TALITHA RISE

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Best Solo Male (South West) 2017 

WINNERS - GOZER GOODSPEED/MARTYN CROCKER: This was an incredibly strong category in 2017 and it has been the hardest one to whittle down so I’ve had to share the spoils. On the one hand we have Bluesman Gozer Goodspeed who has released a superb EP, gigged relentlessly and received international airplay and acclaim. On the other hand, Martyn Crocker has released a stylish and introspective indie-rock album as well as playing some tight, intense and encapsulating gigs which have raised his reputation beyond that of a local musician. Strong game gentlemen, strong game indeed.

Notable Mentions:

CHAY SNOWDON // FROZEN HOUSES // PAUL ARMER

Gozer Goodspeed
Martyn Crocker














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Best Solo Male (UK) 2017 
Jamie Lenman - Best UK Solo Male


WINNER - JAMIE LENMAN: Not only has Lenman produced an album in ‘Devolver’ that is stunning and so deeply layered it might as well be lasagne, but he’s also sold out his own festival (Lenmania) and pulled off an improbably haircut. Even better, he’s now reached the status where people no longer need to talk about his former band, no matter how ace they were. He truly is the hero we need right now.

Notable Mentions:
PHILIP WHITEHEAD // XAMVOLO // MATT EMERY // PAUL DRAPER

2016 Winner – Jake Morley

2015 Winner – Cosmo Sheldrake
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Best Solo Male (International) 2017 
Noah Gundersen - Best International Solo Male


WINNER – NOAH GUNDERSEN: I was a Gundersen virgin until I heard his ‘White Noise’ album but now I am with child. The range of styles, emotions and landscapes left me breathless so throw in some reportedly sensationally intimate live shows and you have the kind of talent that can beat the king of Funk and a dead Blues legend in to first place. He’s just that good.

Notable Mentions:

BOOTSY COLLINS // CHUCK BERRY // SEAFOAM GREEN // GILI YALO




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Best Single 2017

WINNER -  SHE MAKES WAR ‘I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK’ / MOSES ‘KING SIZE’: A split decision again this year based on the head and the heart. She Makes War’s brilliant one woman take on the way us Remoaners feel about the state of the UK right now, ‘I Want My Country Back’, captured my heart immediately and had to be a winner. My head, however, just can’t ignore the fact that London boys Moses pulled an absolute indie banger out of the bag with ‘King Size’ – a track so instantly lovable and infectious that it could well be a one-hit-wonder but it isn’t….mark my words.

Notable Mentions:
VEI ‘ROLLING ON YOU ROMEO’ // BAIT ‘PUSH THE ELEPHANT’ // MUX ‘MDMA’ // AMIQUE ‘GOD’ // PROPHETS OF RAGE ‘UNFUCK THE WORLD’ // LOTS HOLLOWAY ‘STAY A LITTLE LONGER’ // BLACK FUTURES ‘KARMA YA DIG?’ // YVONNE HERCULES ‘ROVING’ // GILI YALO ‘AFRICA’

2016 Winner – Mowbeck ‘Vaseline’ / Childcare ‘Cinema Club’
2015 Winner – Azu Yeche ‘Lagos’

Moses
She Makes War














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Best EP 2017 
MUX - Best EP


WINNER - MUX ‘CAN YOU SEE WHO?’ EP: I Loved this EP from the first spin but it was hearing the tracks live that really brought this to life. From the amazing single ‘MDMA’ that grabs you by the throat and force feeds you, well, MDMA through to the sketchy wonder of ‘Gold and Prozac’ this is the kind of EP that will change hands for big bucks in years when these guys are carried at shoulder-height through the streets of East London.

Notable Mentions:
GOZER GOODSPEED ‘THE BARREL HEADLONG INTO THE NIGHT EP’ // FAILURE MACHINE ‘WAKE DRAKE SKATE EP’ // // DRONNINGEN ‘SUGARBOX EP’ // THE HAMALAYS ‘EP2’ // VELVET & STONE ‘EMBERS’ // SAN BLAS ‘DRAW, WIN OR LOSE’

2016 Winner – Joanna Cooke ‘Wound Up EP’ / Bare Hunter ‘Dry Rot EP’

2015 Winner – Alex Gregory ‘Critical Perfection EP’ 

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Best Video 2017

WINNERS - VEI ‘ROLLING ON YOU ROMEO’ / GILI YALO ‘AFRICA’: OK, I’m not even sorry about sitting on this particular fence. Vei’s ‘Rolling On You Romeo’ has a beautifully stylish and choreographed video that fits the song perfectly without ever going over the top. Gili Yalo’s ‘Africa’, meanwhile is just full of life, colour and vibrancy that makes for the kind of video you just want on a loop if you’re having a bad day.

Notable Mentions:
THE RETROACTION ‘THESE THINGS FOR YOU’ // THE VELVET HANDS ‘I DON’T MIND’ // JERRY WILLIAMS ‘I’M NOT IN LOVE WITH YOU’ // WHERE FIRES ARE ‘I’VE GOT THE TIME’ // I SEE RIVERS ‘DA RAM’ // KATIE LAFFAN ‘TASTEMAKER’ // // IDLES ‘MOTHER’

2016 Winner – Michelle O Faith ‘Lemonade’

2015 Winner – Husky ‘I’m Not Coming Back’

Vei
Gili Yalo














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Best Live Show 2017 
Wildwood Kin - Best Live Show


WINNER – WILDWOOD KIN @ THE BROOK INN, PLYMOUTH: Not an easy one to choose this, what with all the nepotism swarming around the Listen With Monger shows, but the opportunity to catch a group on the rise in an intimate venue for the last time is always special. Exeter trio Wildwood Kin playing in a venue so intimate that they had to shut the bar during the music to avoid interfering with the sound was something to behold. As always, the harmonies were spot on and the banter was awkward but that worked so much better when you could see the whites of their eyes. Once in a lifetime stuff.

Notable Mentions:
BLOGTOBER 2017 @ THE FINSBURY // REVEREND & THE MAKERS @ LOOE FESTIVAL // ONE DAY FEST @ THE INN ON THE SHORE // SOUND OF THE SIRENS @ THE RED HOUSE // JAMIE YOST @ THE INN ON THE SHORE // INDIGO GIRLS @ BIERKELLER

2016 Winner – Blogtober 2016 feat. Berries / Pattern Pusher / Seaker / Jamie Yost / Rosa Belle

2015 Winner – Tankus the Henge @ Looe Music Festival

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Best Debut 2017 
Black Futures - Best Debut


WINNER - BLACK FUTURES ‘KARMA, YA DIG?’: It feels like 2017 had the perfect balance of ingredients for folks to want to start making music what with all the political upheaval, societal disparity and general strong feelings all around. Duo Black Futures fused punk, goth, industrial, dance, EDM and gospel to create the treacle thick ‘Karma, Ya Dig?’ and it is both devastating and uplifting at the same time. This is not the end, this is just the beginning of the end and now we have the perfect soundtrack. 

Notable Mentions:
MUX ‘MDMA’ // BLESSED ‘SEE THROUGH ALL THE COLOURS’ // LUCIE BARAT ‘TAKE ME AWAY’ // L.A.D. ‘DANCE FLOOR’

2016 Winner – Berries ‘Siren’
2015 Winner – Vanessa Forero ‘Heaven Knows’
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Best Year 2017 
Cassels - Best Year

WINNER – CASSELS: Brothers Loz and Jim Beck has been firm favourites at LWM towers for a while now but it was 2017 that saw them cash in all their promise for a juicy deal with Big Scary Monsters, a hatful of UK dates and a stunning debut album. The Chipping Norton duo are not bending to any trends or whims as they make their angular, acerbic noise so you might as well bend to their will instead, it’s just easier for everyone. An extra round of Sherries in the Beck household this Christmas I think.

Notable Mentions:
MALKA // LOTS HOLLOWAY // REVEREND & THE MAKERS // BLESSED 

2016 Winner – Wildwood Kin
2015 Winner – Sound of the Sirens
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Best Album 2017

WINNERS - NOAH GUNDERSEN ‘WHITE NOISE’ / REWS ‘PYRO’: Man, I tried so hard to pick just one album this year but it’s been the best crop of albums this year and I had to share the love. If you’re after intimate, introspective and life affirming stuff that will draw you in and change your world then Noah Gundersen’s superb ‘White Noise’ is the one for you. However, if you want to turn everything up to 11 and rock out hard to songs that you can also sing along to then the debut effort from UK duo Rews, ‘Pyro’, should definitely float your boat.

Notable Mentions:
AUCTION FOR THE PROMISE CLUB ‘SILENCE’ // // HARBOTTLE & JONAS ‘ANNA IS A DANCER’ // SOUND OF THE SIRENS ‘FOR ALL OUR SINS’ // REVEREND & THE MAKERS ‘THE DEATH OF A KING’ // DEQN SUE ‘JUGGERNAUT’ // THE LAD CLASSIC ‘RECTIFIER’ // CASSELS ‘EPITHET’ // JAMIE LENMAN ‘DEVOLVER’ //

2016 Winner – Narcs ‘A Thinking Animal’ / Jake Morley ‘The Manual
2015 Winner – Lost Dawn / Malka
Rews - Pyro

Noah Gundersen - White Noise














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Best PR 2017 
Cannonball PR - Best PR 2017


WINNER - CANNONBALL PR: These guys were newbies on the scene as far as I’m concerned (despite existing since 2004) but then they just started hitting me with outstanding artist after outstanding artist. We’re talking DeQn Sue, AyOwA, Jennings Couch, Josh Wheatley and Velvet Volume amongst others. There’s passion and a real ear for something fresh and different which makes this small agency one to pay attention to. Congratulations to Jamie, Jess and Terry on a fine ass year.

Notable Mentions:
LOST IN THE MANOR PR // BANDWAGON PRESS // BRICK PR

2016 Winner – Wilful Publicity
2015 Winner – Hannah Gould Music PR
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Best Label 2017 
Cooking Vinyl - Best Label 2017


WINNER – COOKING VINYL: A bit of a resurgence for a label I grew up listening to this year as they pumped up some great records from artists like the Darkness, Reverend & The Makers, Noah Gundersen, Gogol Bordello and Embrace – as well as a whole host of others that I didn’t get the pleasure of reviewing this year. Top work ladies and gents, top work indeed.

Notable Mentions:
BIG SCARY MONSTERS // ONE LITTLE INDIAN // CLUE RECORDS // EASY ACTION RECORDS

2016 Winner – Superfan 99

2015 Winner – Clue Records

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LWM Awards 2017 Playlist: 

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