James Blunt and KT Tunstall were crowned the king and queen of British songwriting yesterday (though no crowns were distributed, which was a lost opportunity if you ask me) with the former taking two gongs at the Ivor Novello awards, while the latter took the prestigious Best Song prize.
Blunt hit back at his critics after taking the awards for Most Performed Song and International Hit Of The Year, both for 'You're Beautiful', though he did joke: "I'm going to be rude about this before anyone else has the chance - thank you so much for the award for most overplayed song."
Accepting her award, for her song 'Suddenly I See', Tunstall said: "I've been writing songs for 15 years and it's amazing to just sit in your room and do something that you like doing and it turns into this. It gives you a kick up the arse to carry on". Acknowledging that the Ivor Novellos, as awards for songwriters rather than singers, are particularly well respected in the industry, she continued: "This is the 'brainy' award. My physicist father and my teacher mother will be very pleased the word 'intellectual' has been mentioned".
Other winners at the London event included Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, who were named Songwriters Of The Year; Kaiser Chiefs, who won Best Album for 'Employment'; and New Order, who won a career recognition award - Outstanding Song Collection. Coldplay, who were nominated for three awards, won nothing because, apparently, it turns out their songs are a bit rubbish.
Elsewhere, Harrison Birtwistle, who won the classical music award for Best Composer, did his bit to boost relations between the classical and pop genres by telling everyone at the awards event that they were brain-dead fools. Having seen performances from some of his fellow winners he said: "Why is your music so loud? You must all be brain-dead. Maybe you are. I didn't know so many clichés existed until the last half-hour. Have fun. Goodbye". Thanks Harrison, we love your weird classical nonsense too.
The winners in full were as follows:
Best Song Musically & Lyrically: KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See (Publisher: Sony/ATV)
PRS Most Performed Work: James Blunt / Amanda Ghost / Sach Skarbekuk - You're Beautiful (Publisher: Bucks Music Group / EMI Music Publishing)
Best Television Soundtrack: Rob Lane for music to 'Elizabeth I' (Publisher: Bucks Music Group)
Outstanding Song Collection: New Order
Best Selling UK Single: Jorgen Elofsson / Jeremy Godfrey / Bill Padley - That's My Goal (performed by Shayne Ward) (Publisher: BMG / Universal)
Album Award: Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (Publisher: Universal)
The Ivors Classical Music Award: Harrison Birtwistle
International Hit Of The Year: James Blunt / Amanda Ghost / Sach Skarbekuk - You're Beautiful (Publisher: Bucks Music Group / EMI Music Publishing)
Best Original Film Score: Francis Shaw for music to 'Evil' (Publisher: Copyright Control)
Best Contemporary Song: Athlete - Wires (Publisher: Chrysalis Music)
International Achievement: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)
Songwriters Of The Year: Damon Albarn & Jamie Hewlett
PRS Outstanding Contribution To British Music: Ray Davies
The Special International Award: Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff
The Academy Fellowship: Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb (posthumous) and Robin Gibb