Introducing: The 2020 SAMA Nominees
This Monday the public vote for Scottish Alternative Music Awards opens, but before that lets meet the full list of 2020 nominees.
Best Newcomer
Nathan Somevi
Finding his ear music during time spent at a network of churches in Aberdeen, soul artist Nathan Somevi takes from his surroundings and channels it into his music. His debut EP, ‘Can’t Be Done’, was released amidst the height of the pandemic and offers a little ray of jazz instrumentals as a form of escape.
Kohla
Multi-instrumentalist, producer, artist and dancer Kohla uses her refined skills in the arts to create a stunning mix of Trip-hop and electronica. Honing her skills after years of teaching herself, the Edinburgh artist has an abstract approach to her songwriting. Her latest EP entitled ‘Flux’, released on Last Night from Glasgow, is a rhythmic combo of dark beats and angelic vocals.
TAAHLIAH
Cutting her teeth on the underground Berlin techno scene, TAAHLIAH has broken through onto the ears and minds of Glasgow. Combining grinding electronic music with elements of trance, hyperpop and experimental TAAHLIAH’s sound is an all encompassing wave of sonics. Bringing her revitalising take on the genre to a wider audience, the artist recently collaborated on a remix of Walt Disco’s ‘Dancing Shoes Won’t Fix My Mind’.
Tamzene
Solo musician and multi-instrumentalist Tamzene, graced us with her debut single ‘You’re With Somebody Now’ back in 2019. In 2020 the Cromarty based artist delivered her stunning debut EP, ‘Intro’. Laying down a series of powerful, yet subtle, pop songs driven by piano and her glorious vocal melodies.
Rock/Alternative
Dead Pony
With razor-sharp guitar lines and untamed vocal performances, rock quartet Dead Pony are one of the hottest acts to hit Glasgow. Formerly known as Crystal the quartet haven’t let the pandemic stop them from releasing new music. Unleashing a total of three tracks so far this year, the band manages to meld the rock fervor with undeniable choruses.
Fauves
Art-funk heroes Fauves have been creating their own take on the genre since the release of ‘Hit Like This’ back in 2017. Since then they have headlined King Tut’s, performed at SWG3, St. Lukes and released a string of enigmatic songs. Returning with the powerful ‘F’ this year, the band are on a streak of utter funk greatness.
HYYTS
Hitting onto the local scene in 2019 with their debut release ‘eepee’, Alt-pop duo HYYTS have been crafting elegant pop-songs ever since. An impassioned and dynamic performance is a constant factor in the pair's music. With this year seeing the release of four new singles and a stunning live session in front of the Forth Bridge, HYYTS are here to coax the bad in favour of an infinite sound of warm summer nights.
Pleasure Heads
Pleasure Heads formed from small town boredom and a longing to rise above the mundane, the four-piece bonded over a love of 80s post punk and contemporary garage rock. With a stream of acclaimed singles channeling their ennui and influences, the band produce urgent guitar pop songs that marry melody and meaning.
Best Live Act
Callum Easter
Steeping his music in nostalgic sonic textures, solo artist Callum Easter has crafted his music into a stunning visual display across his live shows pre-pandemic. Garnering critical acclaim and a SAY Award Nomination, Easter has been digitally promoting his latest effort ‘Green Door Sessions’.
Free Love
Free Love are the latest manifestation of Scottish Duo Suzanne Rodden and Lewis Cook, a continuation and progression of their utopian dance pop experiments. The duo create such engaging songs that excel on the production front as well as the addictive hooks that drive their sound forward. Having toured around Europe with The Flaming Lips, the bands most recent release ‘Extreme Dance Anthems’ continues shaping their brand of electro-pop.
Kapil Seshasayee
A polymath of talent, Kapil Seshasayee’s angular take on guitars and dense synth parts merges a myriad of genres together. Bringing flourishes of eletronia evoking FKA Twigs and classical Indian guitar ornamentations to produce an evocative and unique sound. His first LP ‘A Scared Bore’ saw the artist receive acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, VICE, BBC Introducing and more. With Kapil releasing two tracks ahead of his sophomore record, he continues to reshape his sound.
Still House Plants
Produced in sharp flourishes of guitar and drums with the mesmerising vocals of Jessica Hickie-Kallenbach, Still House Plants subvert the expected elements of what a band can do. Having released their debut ‘Long Play’ on Bison Records, the band suspended intricate soundscapes over stuttering drums and weaving melodies.
Best Acoustic
Bobby Kakouris
Bobby Kakouris' eloquent London accent accentuates their blunt lyricism which is introspective, melancholic and evocative. Unorthodox song structures with jarring chord progressions create suspended self-reflection. Bobby has been sharing original songs and covers on YouTube for over a decade, fostering a globally diverse fan-base. Now 23, Bobby is a non-binary artist-producer/singer-songwriter based in Glasgow. Their music has been described as 'short alternative pop snapshots that are by turns beautiful, playful and tragic'.
Fair Mothers
Emerging from the alt-country/folk scene from which Kathryn Joseph sprang from, Fair Mothers AKA Kevin Allan craft a mesmerizing mix of lo-fi acoustics and grand arrangements. With the first LP being a massive collaborative project, featuring 23 songs that were released over a series of singles and two albums. The latest album ‘In Monochrome’ is a formidable beast, dense with luscious arrangements and intricate melodies.
Jenny Sturgeon
Jenny Sturegon’s music is rich with imagery and her songs are bound together by common threads of folklore, nature and connections people have with the wild. For the singer-songwriter, nature and song are intrinsically linked. Environment, ecology and the elements are a touchstone for the Shetland-based musician and The Living Mountain, her second solo album, is a fine example of the way humankind can connect and be inspired by the natural world.
Man Of The Minch
Over the past few years, Man Of The Minch - the musical alias of Glasgow based singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Pedro Cameron - has become one of the most exciting names at the forefront of Scottish folk music. Blending traditional Celtic sounds with elements of synthpop and electronica, as well as personal, profound storytelling, Man of the Minch has already picked up his fair share of fans and followers. With the latest single ‘Circles’ continuing to expand and explore this magical take on folk.
Best Electronic
Lady Neptune
Bringing the sound of Dutch Gabber music straight from the Gorbals, Lady Neptune's new EP sounds like a sugar rush from hell. New Gorbals Gabber comes to us via Scottish label Night School. Released on cassette with a cover designed by Teresa Schonherr, this is a limited item including six new tracks inspired by the Dutch so-called gabber scene. This makes for an exhilarating time with the high-speed drums and the hyper sounding synths.
Pleasure Pool
Pleasure Pool are a new Glasgow band who may wear their influences on their sleeve with a sound reminiscent of The Paradise Garage. However, the euphoric synths and pulsating bass lines still manage to have a lot of uniqueness & sound of current bands. With their first release ‘Night Scars’ backed by Optimo Records the quartet push their sonic boundaries.
TAAHLIAH
Cutting her teeth on the underground Berlin techno scene, TAAHLIAH has broken through onto the ears and minds of Glasgow. Combining grinding electronic music with elements of trance, hyperpop and experimental TAAHLIAH’s sound is an all encompassing wave of sonics. Bringing her revitalising take on the genre to a wider audience, the artist recently collaborated on a remix of Walt Disco’s ‘Dancing Shoes Won’t Fix My Mind’.
Tommy Perman
Scottish artist, designer and musician whose work fuses traditional techniques with digital technologies. Much of his work is based around the urban environment, documenting the growth and decay of cities. Co-founder of the experimental pop group Found and collaborator with Modern Studies, the artist radically pushes the envelope with his brand of electronic music.
Best Metal
Bleed From Within
Metalcore juggernauts Bleed from Within have been whipping up a storm since their inception in 2005. With ‘Fracture’, the third album from the Glasgow-based quintet is as punishing as they’ve ever sounded. Supporting Lamb of God in a live stream session in September, the band continue to bring their sound to fans across the world.
King Witch
Bristling with a dark majesty, the electrifying sound of Edinburgh’s King Witch brings a lead-heavy brew of classic metal to the forefront. Formed in 2015 with the debut EP ‘Shoulder of Giants’ receiving good reviews, the band are now onto their second album. ‘Body of Light’ fuses dense riffage with haunting yet powerful vocal performances.
Neshiima
Neshiima are a Glaswegian heavy rock band that blend aspects of metal, rap and electronia in order to set themselves apart from their contemporaries. Previously nominated in this category, the quartet have been busy at work completing the colour trilogy with the ‘Green’ EP. With a performance at Download and constant rotation on Kerrang and Scuzz, the future looks bright for this band.
SAOR
Since its formation in 2013, Saor has continually evolved while remaining boldly faithful to its Scottish heritage. Expertly transitioning between atmospheric Black metal, celtic folk and trad Scottish sounds the one-man project is a sight to behold. With five albums already released, the latest ‘Aura’ LP is an enveloping journey into this expertly crafted sound.
Best Hip-Hop
CLING
Aiming to bring Afro music into the Glasgow scene, young artist CLING has done just that. With a slew of singles released over the past two years, the artist of Irish/Nigerian descent has been honing his bars. Collaborating with Kiko for the ‘Too Versatile’ album, CLING continues to craft hard hitting beats and rhymes.
India Ros3
The Dundee based India Ros3 channels her history and outlook on life into her music to produce powerful hip-hop tracks that sound fresh and unique. After being inspired by her parents to write and sing, after getting into grime a few years ago she began rapping:"Grime hit Scotland about 5 years ago. My dad had just passed away and writing became my therapy. Rapping gave me a way to get it all out".This summer she performed for 'Love Music Hate Racism'. India had her first TV appearance on 'TUNE" for BBC Scotland August 2019 and also took part in the first ever all female tour with Shay D ' Queens of art.
LOTOS
Last of the Old School (LOTOS) merges grime, rap and afro-beats that are uniquely rooted in both past and present. A fresh and fierce approach to the hip-hop genre, her work earned her a nomination from the MOBO Awards following her debut LP making her the first ever unsigned Scottish artist to do so. Her second single of 2020, a remix entitled ‘Home Free’ was produced by Sosa and self-released.
Louis Seivwright
At the age of 22 years old, Louis Seivwright is quickly emerging as one of the hottest producers in the UK music scene. Based in Aberdeen, Louis' unique style of heavy-hitting beats blend grime, trap, drill and hip-Hop into a sound that is becoming the backbone of Scotland's blossoming rap landscape
The public vote will open on Monday via officialsama.com
In the meantime, make sure to register for the virtual music awards event on Wednesday 18th November
Performances: Nova, Walt Disco
Hosts: Leyla Josephine, Jim Gellatly
Tickets are free and on the link below.