choice music prize

Here are my pictures from the Choice Music Prize awards show at the beautiful Vicar Street venue. Aside from the idiot girl behind me who shushed me and poked me repeatedly in the shoulder to be quiet even though she talked with her friend at a rather loud volume the rest of the show, I had a great time. Girl, you are lucky you touched me and have lived to tell the tale. 

The Choice Music Prize is an annual event where they award bands for best Irish album of the year, with a focus on non-mainstream bands. It's a sort of indie music awards for the entire country. For the event that we attended, each nominee plays two songs and does an on-camera interview. At the end they announce the winner and hand them a giant check for €10,000. I was rooting for a band called O, Emperor that some friends showed me awhile back. They are from Waterford and put on an amazing set. 

SPOILER ALERT: O, Emperor did not win. Still, I'm glad we went because I discovered a bunch of talented Irish bands. I also discovered an expensive fizzy drink called WKD that tastes like raspberries and is bright blue. Highly recommended. Oh and almost all the bands had five-part harmonies and a little folksy twang. Thanks Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, and friends. I am thoroughly enjoying your success.

our seats were in block A

James Vincent McMorrow sounds and looks a bit like Sam Beam. No complaints here:

james vincent mcmorrow

O, Emperor was the band from Waterford. They are friends of the couple that went to the event with us and put on the biggest set of the night:

o, emperor

Fight Like Apes had a crazy girl in spandex running around. I was jealous of her giant hair:

These guys were obviously the most famous already. Thankfully, they said they'd donate the money to charity.

two door cinema club (winners)

The Villagers were the favorites to win. How do I know? Well, in Ireland you can go into a betting shop and find all sorts of statistics. These guys had the worst odds so that means they were probably going to win. Have I told you that I want to take up gambling? Nobody will take me to Ladbrokes yet, but I will find some shady yoke to teach me all about the underworld...

the villagers

Cathy Davey was my favorite of the three female-fronted bands that played:

cathy davey