INTRODUCING: THE 2019 SAMA'S NOMINEES!
Last week we revealed the 28 nominated artists across the 7 SAMA’s! This week we want you to get to know the artists, grab some headphones and enjoy this new playlist!
Best Rock/Alternative in association with Beezer
Fabric Bear
Fabric Bear are a 3-piece Indie band from Scotland consisting of Ryan Hunter, Callum Jones and Matt Graham, who all knew each other as friends in the Scottish music scene, and after separate musical ventures not working out, they decided to come together to deliver infectious indie pop songs with catchy choruses and memorable melodies.
Heavy Rapids
Heavy Rapids are a rising band ready to rip up the UK music scene with punk influenced rock n' roll tunes. In their first year the band have had multiple festival appearances including TRNSMT's Jack Rock Stage w/TF and Glasgow's Tenement Trail which highlights the best new music in the UK right now. The band have released 6 singles to date with much more in the pipeline in 2019.
The Snuts
The Snuts are already beginning to craft an undeniably magnetic following, having captured the imagination of fans across Scotland with their early demos and infamously anthemic, all-encompassing live show. The band performed their much-anticipated debut headliner at Glasgow's legendary King Tuts in December 2017, having sold out in a matter of hours.
Walt Disco
Walt Disco are a band whose influences derive not from just music itself, but much more so from love, glamour and androgyny. Crooning vocals, angular guitars, dark shimmering synths - their music is a gateway to a space of lust, loss and everything in-between. In the short time they have been together, Walt Disco have already shot far far ahead of expectations. Having gained notoriety for their drama-filled and unpredictable live shows, the band earned early support from BBC 6 Music & BBC Radio Scotland and have been praised by NME, Clash, and Wonderland. Most recently, they sold out a headline show at Glasgow's legendary King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, marking a strong start to the year for a band destined to carve their own path in 2019.
Best Metal in association with Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow
Centrilia - In The Name Of Nothing
Metal band from Scotland, debut album mixed by Terry Date 'In The Name Of Nothing' OUT NOW
Inferiem - Battleground
Winners of Metal 2 The Masses Glasgow 2019 - Inferiem are a young band comprised of 5 passionate musicians. The lineup was completed in February 2018 and debuted in April opening for Titan Breed, they left a lasting impression in the local scene and have only grown stronger. Taking influences from Architects to Killswitch Engage to Gorjira, expect a melodic yet brutal soundscape to assault your ears.
Godeater - Silent Spring
Godeater are a technical death metal band from Glasgow, Scotland. With a potent blend of burgeoning death metal, brooding atmospherics and thought-provoking lyricism, Godeater are ready to make their mark on the UK's metal scene.
From Sorrow To Serenity - Resurgence
Kerrang! - ''Metalcore monster''
Metal Hammer - ''Riffs that could rattle the fillings in your teeth''
Rock Sound - ''From Sorrow to Serenity's début album goes HARD.''
Best Newcomer in association with The Academy Of Music & Sound
corto.Alto - Nu-Jazz collective out of Glasgow
Kapil Seshasayee - Kapil creates avant pop bar none, a sound unlike any other. A one man combination of Scott Walker, Mark Hollis, Bjork, and Richard Dawson, creating something wholly unique. He combines Big Black style drum machine beats with thundering baritone guitar, stunning vocals and and a penchant for unorthodox instrumentation such as the aquaphone. Truly experimental yet still accessible. Kapil's debut album "A Sacred Bore" is out now.
VanIves - Childhood friends Stuart Ramage (Singer, Songwriter, guitarist) and Roan Ballantine (Producer, pianist, DJ and songwriter) make up the multi-genre-bending duo of VanIves. Hailing from south-west Scotland their sound originates from the dancefloor, layering catchy hooks and immersive imagery which is quietly making this duo one of Scotland’s most exciting new artists.
Cloth - Delivering angular alt-rock, cut through with deep electronic grooves, Cloth are a Glasgow-based trio comprising twins Rachel Swinton (vocals, guitar), Paul Swinton (guitar) and Clare Gallacher (drums). After forming in 2016, the band undertook a lengthy period of writing, rehearsing and latterly, recording at revered studio Chem 19. Within 2 weeks of uploading their first track to YouTube in April 2018, the band was signed by LNFG. Debut single ‘Demo Love’ was released officially on the label in June 2018, garnering plaudits and radio airplay from, among others, Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music (naming the track one of his favourites of the week), Steve Lamacq, Podcart (‘one of the best songs to come out of Scotland this year’), and Scots Whay Hae! blog (naming it one of the 10 best songs of the year).
Best Acoustic in association with BTO BeCreative
Aaron Smith - Aaron Smiths music sounds so bucolic, so natural, that it encourages you to think of something beautiful, almost pastoral. The reality, though, is a little harsher. The songwriters journey, his experiences of both love and trauma, fuel an incredible debut EP Loveless.
His debut EP is the work of a bold, singular voice, one that wants to speak truths but also find as wide an audience as possible it recalls Bon Iver but also Keane; it harbours the pensive approach of Ry X, but also the sheer will to communicate of Coldplays Chris Martin. Recorded at studios across London and whittled down from more than 70 tracks, its a brave and extremely humane selection of songs. Its a good introduction for showcasing me as an artist. It describes me as a person, he comments. Its quite personal. And Im really, really happy with it.
Annie Booth - Annie is a young singer-songwriter based in Edinburgh. Performing her indie-rock tinged folk throughout Scotland, she creates melancholic songs with infectious melodies.
Lizabett Russo - Scotland-based singer-songwriter Lizabett Russo merges her native traditions with elements of contemporary jazz, avant garde folk and world music, a range of influence effortlessly spanned by her powerfully versatile voice.
"This is simply world-class work, by any standard" Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6
"Wonderfully haunting" Late Night Junction, BBC Radio 3
Zoe Graham - There is an impressive maturity and attention to detail in Zoe Graham’s music that sets this accomplished young songwriter apart from her peers. On stage, you will find her either with band or fleshing out the instrumentation with loop pedals on solo outings.
But when Zoe pares it back to just a vocal and acoustic guitar, as she does on the achingly poignant The Anniesland Lights (from her recent Hacket & Knackered EP), that is when you know you're in the company of someone very special indeed. Championed by Radio Scotland's Roddy Hart and with multiple Celtic Connections appearances to her name, Zoe Graham's understated charms will not stay below the radar for much longer.
Best Hip Hop in association with Help Musicians Scotland
Steg G - Producing beats and learning his craft in the studio took over his life as Steg.G began making a name for himself around Glasgow and beyond as a serious producer. It wasn’t long before it started paying off as recognition and demand for his work from other artists within the scene was growing.
Nova Scotia The Truth - DJ, rapper, electronic music producer and performer Nova Scotia The Truth is one of the most exciting hip-hop artists on the scene.
Delivery Room - Paisley/Runcorn hip-hop duo Delivery Room are combining the freshest flows with a grassroots attitude.
Billy Got Waves - Edinburgh born, half Scottish half Nigerian musician Billy Got Waves is setting the standard for Scottish Hip Hop.
Best Electronic in association with citizenM hotels
Ela Orleans - Referring to her work as "movies for ears," Ela Orleans creates haunting, dream-like experimental pop music using electronic and acoustic instrumentation. Her lo-fi, sample-driven songs, often featuring Casio keyboards and reverb-caked vocals, recall ghostly memories of '50s and '60s pop, drawing from influences ranging from Broadcast to Éthiopiques compilations to Bernard Herrmann film scores.
Tallisker - Tallisker is a Scottish born French electronic music duo incarnated by Eléonore Mélisande (cellos, vocals, synths, songwriting, production) and Robin Ngi (drums, machines, synths, arrangements, production). Both classically-trained (Eléonore a former cellist, Robin a former classical guitarist) with a love for the rave and underground cultures, they craft a sound between two shores.
Ok Button - The intent behind OK Button’s debut single The Message is as relevant today as Grandmaster Flash’s 1982 single of the same name was against the ravages of drugs in inner city ghettos. The Aberdeen-based dream-pop trio – with a collective CV of work with Morcheeba, Gorillaz, Bombay Bicycle Club and One Eskimo and more – say the song is a “mantra” for tackling anxiety and low self-esteem, as singer songwriter Amber Wilson counters, “you motherfuckers won’t bring me down”, amid wispy drones and fragile electronic percussion. They challenge other modern anxieties such as digital detachment and isolation on subsequent singles, with a singular, delicate sonic palette and an assurance that “everything will be OK”.
SHHE - SHHE is the alter-ego of Scottish-Portuguese artist and producer Su Shaw. Her upcoming self-titled debut album tracks a period of intense personal change. The resulting record is a sparse, haunting and atmospheric journey of introspection and exploration of identity that demonstrates SHHE’s ability to capture movement, change and the light and darkness that haunt the human condition. As she puts it: “Each song on the album is questioning identity, but under guises and levels.”
Best Live Act in association with Musicians Union
Bossy Love - Perhaps best described by The Guardian as “Infectious, like Prince on a trampoline”, in two short years Glasgow-based duo Bossy Love have built an army of fans utterly captivated by their savvy, RnB-inflected pop; where deadly hooks and fearless, anthemic lyrics sit atop propulsive, rich production.
Crystal - fuzz-punk quartet CRYSTAL have been taking venues across the country by storm with their signature blend of crushing guitars with big pop hooks.
Gallus - Gallus are a five piece indie-punk band from Glasgow. Their new single ‘Actual Factual’ is out now on Spotify.
The Vegan Leather - The Vegan Leather are an Art Pop four piece from Paisley. Having formed in 2014, the band have honed their craft as one of the most unique acts in Scotland.
Get your ticket for SAMA’s 2019 here.