So, no surprise here then really. Readers of the NME have named Arctic Monkeys not only Best Newcomers of the year, but also Best Band, despite the fact they had only released two singles when a bulk of the voting took place. The Sheffield band won three gongs at the annual reader voted NME Awards held in London last night - they also took Best Track for 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'.
The Arctic Monkeys' success came at the expense of fellow Yorkshire men Kaiser Chiefs who, despite being nominated in a record six categories, only took home one award - 'Employment' took Best Album - though frontman Ricky Wilson was named Best Dressed rocker, which I'm sure made up for everything.
In similar categories to that one, Madonna was named Sexiest Woman while Pete Doherty, despite all his woes in the last twelve months, was named Sexiest Man. Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown was presented a Godlike Genius award by footballer Teddy Sheringham, apparently because the singer had said he would only accept the award from a member of Manchester United's 1999 treble-winning squad.
The full list of winners ran thus:
Best New Band: Arctic Monkeys
Best Video: Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle
Best International Band: The Strokes
Best TV Show: Gonzo
Best Solo Artist: Kanye West
Philip Hall Radar Award: Long Blondes
Best Radio Show: Zane Lowe
Best Event: Carling Weekend
Best Live Band: Franz Ferdinand
Best Music DVD: Live 8
Best Film: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
John Peel Music Innovation Award: Gorillaz
Best Track: Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Best Album: Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Best British Band: Arctic Monkeys
Godlike Genius Award: Ian Brown
Best Website: NME.com
Best Venue: Brixton Academy
Hero of the Year: Bob Geldof
Villain of the Year: George Bush
Best Dressed: Ricky Wilson
Worst Dressed: Justin Hawkins
Worst Album: James Blunt - Back To Bedlam
Worst Band: Son of Dork
Sexiest Man: Pete Doherty
Sexiest Woman: Madonna
Commenting on the awards, and on Arctic Monkeys particular success, NME editor Conor McNicholas told reporters: "This time last year no-one had ever heard of them. To go from that to the biggest band in Britain and win three awards is pretty special. Everyone talks about them making it big because of the internet but there's a lot of fine music on the internet. The great thing about the Arctic Monkeys is they are doing something nobody else has done. They have a depth to their lyrics that no-one else has. If it wasn't for the Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs would have done a lot better. Yes, Kaiser Chiefs did well at the Brits, but the NME Awards are always a year ahead of the Brits."