AIM Awards

AIM Independent Music Awards announces shortlist

Young Fathers, Wolf Alice and the 2 Bears are among the nominees for the AIM Independent Music Awards 2015.

Jim Ottewill
  • By Jim Ottewill
  • 12 Aug 2015
  • min read
Young Fathers, Wolf Alice and the 2 Bears are among the nominees for the AIM Independent Music Awards 2015.

The shortlist for the fifth annual awards was unveiled at an event at the House of Vans London last night (11 August).

Scottish rap trio and previous M cover stars Young Fathers are among the most nominated with three nods including Best Difficult Second Album, Hardest Working Band and Independent Album of the Year.

They are joined by the likes of Courtney Barnett and FKA twigs with three nods. Wolf Alice and Ghostpoet are among the artists to receive two nods from the shortlist.

Award winners will be revealed at a ceremony hosted by XFM’s long term champion of new music John Kennedy and Radio 1’s Alice Levine at the Brewery in Clerkenwell on 8 September.

The full list of nominees is below:

Best Small Label (in association with Disc Manufacturing Services)
Basick Records
Erased Tapes Records
High Focus Records
Planet Mu Records
Rocket Girl

Best Difficult Second Album (in association with XFM)
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
Holly Herndon - Platform 
Nadine Shah - Fast Food
The 2 Bears - The Night is Young
Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too

Special Catalogue Release of the Year (in association with Amazon Music)
Cities of Darkscorch Boardgame
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Inside the Pleasuredome
Bjork - Coloured Vinyl Catalogue Reissue
The Pretty Things - Bouquets From a Cloudy Sky
Imogen Heap - Sparks (Deluxe Boxset)
Oasis - (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? Reissue

Hardest Working Band or Artist 
Courtney Barnett
Jme
Little Comets
Swans
Young Fathers

Golden Welly Award for Best Independent Festival (in association with AIF, voted for by readers of DIY)
ArcTanGent
Barn On The Farm
Brainchild Festival
Pete The Monkey
Truck Festival

Independent Breakthrough of the Year
Courtney Barnett
FKA twigs
Run The Jewels
Songhoy Blues
Wolf Alice

Indie Champion (in association with CI)
Camilla Pia, BBC 6Music
Marc Riley, BBC 6Music
Peter Guy, Getintothis
Rupert Morrison, The Drift Record Shop
Tim Burgess, Songwriter & O Genesis Music Ltd

Independent Video of the Year (in association with Vevo)
Alt-J - Hunger Of The Pine
Flying Lotus - Never Catch Me
Ghostpoet - Sorry My Love, It’s You Not Me
Ibeyi - River
Son Lux - Change Is Everything

Best Live Act (in association with Jack Daniel’s, voted for by visitors to Songkick)
All Time Low
Alt-J
Erasure
Thunder
To Kill a King
Twin Atlantic

Independent Track of the Year (in association with Spotify)
Alt-J - Every Other Freckle
Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
FKA twigs - Two Weeks
Jamie XX - Loud Places
LA Priest - Oino
Major Lazer - Lean On
Mogwai - Teenage Exorcists
Neck Deep - Can’t Kick Up The Roots
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love
Wiley - On A Level 

PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Act
FKA twigs
Ghetts
Jungle
Ward Thomas

Independent Album of the Year (in association with dotFans)
Bjork -Vulnicura
Enter Shikari - The Mindsweep
Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
Ghostpoet - Shedding Skin
Jme - Integrity>
The Bug - Angels & Devils
The Charlatans - Modern Nature
The Xcerts - There Is Only You
Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool
Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too 

Independent Label of the Year (in association with Believe Digital)
Epitaph Records
Erased Tapes Records
Heavenly Recordings
Planet Mu Records
Transgressive Records

Pioneer Award (in association with The Orchard) 
Digby Pearson, Earache Records

Innovator Award (in association with Promostream) 
Peter Quicke, Matt Black and Jonathan More of Ninja Tune

Outstanding Contribution to Music (in association with Merlin)
TBA