Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2019 nominees revealed

The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs) returns for its tenth edition to once again celebrate the eclectic range of contemporary music being made in Scotland. Awards run the gamut: there are prizes for best electronic, hip-hop, acoustic, metal and rock/alternative artists, as well as awards for best live act and best newcomer.

“The SAMAs shine a light on the bits of the Scottish music industry that other award ceremonies don’t reach,” says Alan Morrison, head of music at Creative Scotland. “What they find there is a buzz of activity, sometimes in vibrant underground scenes, sometimes on the margins where tomorrow’s talent is ready and waiting to step onto the main stage.”

Morrison describes this year’s list of nominees as the awards' strongest yet and hopes that it’ll introduce these “superb musicians to new audiences who might not otherwise lend an ear to these genres”. To back up Morrison’s claim for the vibrancy and buzz of Scotland’s music scene, one of the most exciting categories this year is Best Live Act. Fighting out for that title will be four blistering bands, all hailing from the West Coast. Glasgow duo Bossy Love fight it out with Glasgow four-piece CRYSTAL, Glasgow five-piece Gallus and Paisley art-pop quartet The Vegan Leather; you can read an interview with the latter in our October issue (out now), where Gianluca Bernacchi and Marie Collins discuss the band's debut album, Poor Girls / Broken Boys.

The public vote to choose your favourite acts will be open on the SAMAs website from 14 October, with the awards handed out at a ceremony at Saint Luke’s in Glasgow on Friday 25 October. The line-up of performers on the night include psych-rockers The Cosmic Dead, hip-hop artist Chlobocop and Dumfries punks Franky’s Evil Party. Radio DJ Jim Gellatly and poet Leyla Josephine are the hosts for the evening.

If you fancy attending this year’s SAMAs, tickets are available via Eventbrite, with £1 from each ticket going to Help Musicians Scotland, Scotland’s leading music charity. For more information on the awards visit officialSAMA.co.uk.

For the full list of nominees, read on...

Best Newcomer

corto.alto
Cloth
Kapil Seshasayee
VanIves

Best Electronic

Ela Orleans
Ok Button
Tallisker
SHHE

Best Hip Hop

Billy Got Waves
Delivery Room
Nova Scotia The Truth
Steg G

Best Acoustic

Aaron Smith
Annie Booth
Lizabett Russo
Zoe Graham

Best Live Act

Bossy Love
Crystal
Gallus
The Vegan Leather

Best Metal

Centrilia
From Sorrow To Serenity
Godeater
Inferiem

Best Rock/Alternative

Fabric Bear
Heavy Rapids
The Snuts
Walt Disco

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Scottish Alternative Music Awards, Saint Lukes, Glasgow, Fri 25 Oct