It’s that time of year again when everyone seems to be handing out awards to each other. In keeping with tradition, the Welsh Icons team has again compiled their list of people and products they feel have contributed most to Welsh life in 2010.
We freely admit that our list is, in part, based on people and companies the team have had contact with in the last 12 months but have to add that we are not influenced by whether or not they advertise with us.
It is just a list we have compiled of people and products that have impressed us in the past year.
Click here to view Part I of our awards.
Music
Live Band of the Year
Winner: Sicknote
Yet again Sicknote have proved to be the the most exciting live band around. Even our jaded editor who only goes to see live music out of morbid curiosity was seen earlier this year jigging about to Sicknote’s ‘Party Party’. 2010 saw the ‘Sickies’ at their most chaotic yet they still managed to get it together for live performances from Glastonbury to Lampeter.
Our personal Sicknote highlight of the year has to be the occasion when their long-suffering driver and roadie Dickie dumped them in a field and drove off.
Single of the Year
Winner: Becca White – Hide and Seek
Becca (from Wrexham) and her produce John Grindell came to our attention earlier this year.
Her first three singles were incredible successes in Wales, her US remixes of Disgo, So Unfaithful and Didnt Wanna Do It all went straight in at number one in the download charts. Her new album is also doing very well following a distribution deal with HMV. It includes the first three singles in English and Welsh plus electronica versions of Hero, Tattoo and I Will Always Love You, plus a new Welsh single as a bonus! Since first singing at primary school, Becca has gone on to perform at the Llangollen Fringe Festival, National Eisteddfod in Wales and Radio One DJ Huw Stephens’ Swn Festival in Cardiff.
Tours of America, Argentina and Portugal are now in the planning stages.
Visit http://becca.white.20m.com/ for more information about Becca.
Album of the Year
Joint Winner: Cakehole Presley – Look After Your Chihuahua
Chris, Mark, Al and Alka have pulled out all the stops for this tour de force showcasing their many talents.
Their album which contains some of their classic track as well as some new material show that they are just as comfortable in a studio as they are on stage.
Joint Winner: Whistling Biscuits – The City Spoke
Whistling Biscuits are Owen Bowley, David Morris, Tom Jackson, Andy Davies, Rhys Owen, and Steve Powell.
They are music lovers making music they love, an acoustic based 6-piece from Wales. Their sound is formed through a fusion of their varied tastes, so far bringing together elements of Blues, Country, Jazz, Rock, Reggae, Folk, Soul, and more. They say “We’ve never felt the need to categorise ourselves, we just write music we love, you can make your own mind up.”
Their 8 track album ‘The City Spoke’, recorded by Charlie Francis at Music Box and mastered by Donal Whelan from Hafod Mastering. The album released this July has become a firm favourite in the Welsh Icons office.
International – Contribution to Welsh Life
Winner: Americymru
Americymru is a social network bringing together people of Welsh descent and Cymruphiles all over the world . It is a place where members can share their experiences of Wales and engage in friendly debate in our forums. The network has many features which allow people with a shared love of Wales to communicate and share photos, videos, links, blogposts etc . They also extend a warm welcome to our cousins from other Celtic nations.
They seek to provide a social network for the Welsh, and, promote Wales in the USA as well as the Welsh-American community and other communities of the Welsh ‘diaspora’ . It should be stressed that they have no political or financial agenda in so doing but merely a desire to help familiarise their members and readers with the best of traditional and modern Welsh literature, music and culture.
They also stage events in the USA including the West Coast Eisteddfod.
[pageview url=”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1345265992/2011-west-coast-eisteddfod-festival-welsh-arts-sho/widget/video.html” width=”600″ height=”400″ border=”0″ scrolling=”no”]Part III coming when the Welsh Icons team have recovered from the aftermath of Christmas Day. Look out for our politicians of the year and our Welsh man and woman of the year awards!
