Bang a gong!

Ah, sweet nostalgia. I must confess I haven’t been back in Belfast since the last time the hotpress Awards turned the city into the rock capital of the western world, so simply walking into the foyer of the Europa Hotel brings back a host of memories, most of them slightly hazy and alcohol-fuelled, it must be said. But it’s good to be back.

There is a palpable air of excitement when the hotpress Awards cavalcade comes to town. All around the lobby, people are milling about with the frenetic energy of a hive of bees on the rampage. If you were merely an observer, you could have great fun, whiling away the hours, compiling a who’s who of the Irish music industry. Oh look, there are various Frames leaving the restaurant and heading for their rooms, and isn’t that Tim from Ash trying to slink into the bar? There’s Paul from BellX1 standing around and generally looking tall; and that shirt can only belong to Brian from the same band. Yes indeed, the lobby of the Europa is a musician-spotter’s wet dream.

You’d have to be fairly quick though, because before you can say ‘Excuse me Mr Hewson, could I please have an autograph?’, all the movers and shakers have upped sticks and headed down Great Victoria Street to the BBC Studios, where the hotpress Awards 2002 is taking place on a bright and buzzy Belfast Thursday evening under the Production baton of the tireless Fedelma Harkin. The event is being recorded for broadcast on BBC the following night, with showings on TV3 and BBC Choice in the UK to follow.

And, without further ado, let’s head into the studio, ’cos here is your co-host… Patrick Kielty.

From the word go, Kielty is a revelation. Far from the cosy, boy-next-door demeanour of some of his earlier work, the affable comedian is hilariously acerbic, quick-witted and seriously on the money. He takes risks, slagging off the assembled glitterati. There are moments when it seems he might have landed himself in the soup – but he makes it through without getting a dig.

“I thought Paddy Kielty did an amazing job,” David Holmes tells me later. “He was really sharp, controversial, funny and he didn’t give a shit.”

Talking to Mrs Kielty’s son a couple of days after the event, I wondered how difficult it is to MC something like the hotpress Awards?

“There are two sides to it,” he muses. “Obviously, you are making a TV programme so you have to put that television front on: there is a certain level of professionalism and straightness that you have to play. The stuff I enjoy most, though, are the bits that aren’t on TV, when you can just have a laugh and you’re working the room, just taking the piss out of people. With Awards ceremonies like that, you find there are a lot of people who are too cool for school.

“People tell you that you can’t really slag off Van Morrison and I think, why not? Somebody came to me backstage and said, ‘So-and-so isn’t in great form tonight so I wouldn’t do that line’. If somebody doesn’t want to hear a line about themselves, you couldn’t egg on a comedian any more. I love that sort of thing, where you have a semi-cool audience and you have to have a go.”

Kielty’s excellent co-host for the night was Christine Bleakley, a star in the making who is certain to graduate to network TV in the UK over the coming months. Far from blase, however, Christine had admitted to being extremely nervous before the event. But she came through with flying colours.

“There is always the risk that you are going to do something wrong, so from a pure embarrassment point of view, it can be a nerve-wracking thing,” she grins. “For me, standing there and recognising so many faces brought home what a big night it was. There I was up on the stage, looking out at U2 and The Corrs: it really doesn’t get much bigger than that. So from my point of view it was a huge night, and thoroughly enjoyable. I thought it was very exciting. I think the whole team, including the crew and everybody behind the scenes, really enjoyed it.”

Her view is echoed by Kielty. “You can’t not enjoy yourself at a gig like that,” he says. “If you are into music in any type of way, to be holding a show like that together, and seeing stuff like Ash and The Frames doing The Pixies’ number at the end – wow!”

With everybody who’s anybody crammed into the BBC studios, the lights are on, the cameras are rolling, it’s heating up and you can almost taste the excitement and the fear – well, you can certainly smell something, but I won’t reveal any more in a family publication like hotpress.

The next couple of hours pass in a blur of stars, speeches, gongs and songs, as the Irish music industry celebrates its heroes, new and old.

Firmly fitting into the former category are The Revs, who emerge as winners of the Philip Lynott Newcomer Award ahead of acts of the calibre of Melaton, Damien Rice and Northern hopefuls, the admirable Relish. What’s more, they get to woo the great and the good with an exhilarating blast of their own spiky brand of punk rock. Frontman Rory Gallagher is ecstatic. “We were just finished a mini-world tour, so what a fantastic way to come back,” he enthuses. “Instead of going home to a rainy night in Donegal, we got to perform at the hotpress Awards and stay in the Europa Hotel.”

So what about the Award itself?

“It really means a lot to us,” he enthuses. “The IRMAs have a lot to do with hype but the hotpress Awards have always been more closely connected to music, so for us to win it was fantastic.”

The Donegal trio performed their hit ‘Wired To The Moon’, which went down a treat, especially with two members of one of the biggest bands on the planet, Ed O’Brien and Colin Greenwood from Radiohead.

“We were a bit worried because nowadays in rock, it is not looked on too friendly if you’re happy on stage,” Rory laughs. “But we’re not from broken homes and we can’t pretend that we are. We are naturally pretty happy people. So for the two lads in Radiohead to say they enjoyed it was fucking amazing, especially for John in the band, who grew up idolising them.”

Radiohead themselves are in town to collect the Award for Best Live Performance in Ireland by an International Act, for their Belfast show at the Odyssey Arena, which took place just three days after the events of September 11th. The gig was a hugely emotional affair, covered by our own Peter Murphy at the time, in what was one of the hotpress cover stories of the year.

Presenting the award, Bono builds up an immediate rapport with the audience. The U2 man has everybody in stitches with his introduction, which is delivered with his tongue firmly in his cheek. When listing the nominees, he accidentally-on-purpose refers to that famous gig by “The Nolan Sisters at Dylan Park” before correcting himself, “Sorry, Bob Dylan at Nowlan Park”.

“I’ve only done this a few times,” he jokes, trying to excuse himself, before getting serious again, paying tribute to the winners. “They are extraordinarily gifted and what is rare with a gift this large, they have grace the size of it. Radiohead!”

Ed O’Brien seems genuinely delighted to accept the award. “I remember seeing his [Bono’s] band in 1985 in Milton Keynes and being blown away, and aspiring to be like them, REM and Bowie.

“This is a big fucking deal,” he continues, “because Ireland is all about music, so to come here and be able to play is a great privilege. I just want to thank everyone who was there because they made it feel really good for us to play.”

Bono isn’t just a presenter on the night. He personally picks up the gong for Best Male Singer, and U2 collectively take another two awards, Best Performance in Ireland by an Irish Act for their brace of Slane shows and the coveted gong for Best Band.

Collecting the live award, Edge is suitably philosophical: “I was thinking earlier on about the first hotpress Award we ever won and how much it meant to us at the time. And this means just as much to us, because it is for performance. In this country that has so much talent among its performers, both North and South, to win this is a huge achievement as well as a great honour.

“The Slane shows meant as much to us as any shows we have ever performed,” he concludes, before quipping,”The DVD will be out by next Christmas.”

Bono’s mischievous sense of humour comes to the fore for a second time when he picks up the Best Male Singer award.

“It’s really great to be up in Belfast. It’s really great just to be out, especially at the moment – with the missus off saving the world, I don’t get out of the house as much. I’m under a pile of nappies writing postcards,” he jokes, before revealing a more humble side.

“I’m not a great singer but I sing from a great place and that place is U2,” he reflects. “I sing from standing in front of Larry Mullen’s kick-drum; I sing from Edge ringin’ those bells; I sing from Adam, who keeps us all on the ground. Above all else, my inspiration is friendship.”

Bono isn’t the only member of U2 to present an award, with Larry Mullen giving away the prize for the Best Musician. Described by Patrick Kielty as “something of a novelty in Belfast, a man who plays the drums without feeling the need to march”, Larry arrives on stage to audible sighs from the female half of the audience (one normally sane woman I know, whispers, “He’s like a good wine. He just gets better with age”).

The U2 sticksman is in fine form, announcing the winner. “Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better,” he grins. “You guys like drummers up here. Sorry Edge, the winner is Caroline Corr.”

It is fair to say that nobody is more surprised than The Corrs’ drummer when her name is called out, having pipped Declan Sinnott, Glen Hansard and The Edge to the prize. “I’m absolutely speechless,” she says. “I think I was the last one to know about this, and I’m really sorry Edge, you can’t win them all.”

But The Corrs do win more. Jim presents their manager, John Hughes, with the Industry Award, describing him as the man who, as fifth member of the group, “plotted a course for The Corrs through the maze that is the music industry.”

It’s not over yet for The Corrs. The full band are back on stage when they come out on top in the Best Pop Act category, a fact which bizarrely seemed to surprise more than one of the tabloids the following day. I managed to grab a word with a beaming Andrea Corr after the show.

“Caroline had no idea what was going on,” she smiles. “I don’t even think she recognised herself when she was on the video screen playing the drums because Caroline just goes off and dreams for a while, so she was really shocked and that was wonderful. And then our manager, as well: we all knew about that, because Jim was asked to present the award, but John didn’t. And none of us knew that we won the Award for Best Pop Act, and that was really great. We’re having a great night.”

With the wealth of awards they have already amassed, does it still mean something to The Corrs to win these trophies?

“It really does,” Andrea enthuses, “particularly because they are the hotpress Awards. hotpress was always cool. When we were growing up, the muso guy in school who you fancied was always holding a copy!”

One singer who has yet to get used to collecting silverware is Tipperary lass Gemma Hayes, who lifts the gong for Best Female Singer.

“Gemma was literally on stage in Paris at the moment the award was being presented,” hotpress editor Niall Stokes reveals. “We tried to figure out a way of getting her to Belfast but it was utterly impossible, even using the government jet. That’s a joke by the way. But it’s a shame she couldn’t be on the premises because winning the award was some achievement.

“This is a great period for Irish women performers. I think Sinéad O’Connor has led the way and inspired a whole new generation of singers. Juliet Turner has had a great eighteen months, forging an independent path wonderfully and going platinum with Burn The Black Suit – she’d have been a very deserving winner. And Andrea Corr fronts one of the biggest bands in the world. For Gemma to have sneaked in ahead is a remarkable endorsement from the music critics and broadcasters who make up the voting panel.”

Northern songstress Cara Dillon is another new female star in the Irish firmament: tonight she lifts the Roots Award, which is presented by Moya Brennan, before joining Brian Kennedy for a beautiful take on Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stick Together’ and a solo run through ‘Black Is The Colour’. Westlife, described by Christine Bleakley as “a hurtling pop juggernaut” pick up a special BBC/hotpress Outstanding Achievement Award and are suitably chuffed.

David Holmes hits the stage for the first time this evening to present the Dance Award to fellow northerner Phil Kieran, who as well as DJing with considerable success has released a number of fine singles. Kieran pays tribute to the fact that there are “lots of people making music in Belfast and releasing it on their own record labels”.

A little later, Holmes himself features on the other side of the gong giving, winning a special award for his Outstanding Contribution To Popular Culture in Ireland and Internationally, which is presented by hotpress Editor Niall Stokes, who refers to the Belfast prodigy as “a man of wide and streetwise talents, original pirate material”.

In accepting his award, which he dedicates to his dad, the always entertaining, multi-talented superstar DJ and soundtrack guru can’t resist including a joke: “Do you know the difference between Belfast and Dublin?” he asks. “There are no boybands in Belfast.” There are roars of approval from the room.

Talking to the boy Holmes a little later, it is clear that he was genuinely astonished to have been the recipient of an award.

“I really was,” he grins, “because I was just coming here for the laugh. Awards are a bit weird, but it’s good to win. I’m only 33 and it was like winning a lifetime achievement award.”

Holmer is full of praise for the way the hotpress Awards are organised.

“It is the only true awards ceremony in Ireland,” he stresses. “hotpress have been supporting music for longer than I can string a sentence together. I have the utmost respect for hotpress: they really supported me.”

Before he heads off into the night, Holmes informs me that he is currently working on a new album of “experimental, sample-based, twisted, fucked-up, interesting soul music” under the moniker, Free Association. He is also teaming up with a certain former ER star for another movie soundtrack, entitled Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind.

Fellow Northern lights, Ash land the titles for Best Album and Best Single for Free All Angels and ‘Shining Light’ respectively. The band are evidently on a high, genuinely proud of their achievements: those two awards are a real vindication of all the hard work that went into producing that wonderful album.

“Competition for this award is pretty amazing so we are shocked and very happy,” Tim grins when they take the honours in the album category. “Some amazing albums weren’t even nominated, so this is cool.”

“I’m so nervous,” Rick maintains from the stage, mock seriously, ”but not as nervous as The Edge was making me, looking at me in that weird way, while I was playing.” Needless to say, this is greeted with tumultuous laughter, which becomes even greater, later on, when Adam explains from the podium that ”Edge has been giving me that look for years”.

I manage to accost Tim Wheeler a little later on, as he proudly displays both awards for all to see. So are you as happy as you look, Tim?

“We’ve just won Best Album and Best Single: of course I’m happy,” he beams. “That is so prestigious ‘cos these are real music awards. This is a really nice end to a fabulous year for us. Now we’re off to America, to see if we can win a goddamn Grammy.”

Ash’s record company boss, Korda Marshall, the Managing Director of Mushroom Records, is in the studio to see the band pick up two of the most coveted awards in the industry. Quite apart from the fact that his band came through with flying colours, the label boss is expansive in his assessment of the event.

“I thought it was brilliant,” he waxes lyrical. “I’ve being going to the Brits for about 15 years, but there was such an honesty and a wonderful feeling of creativity at the hotpress Awards. It was a great evening.

“Traditionally, the awards shows in England, whether it is the Brits or the Music Week Awards, it is very hard to get the bigger artists to show up, and I was very impressed the way that it went from artists of the calibre and stature of U2 to The Revs in a vertical line, and going from Brian Kennedy to Moya Brennan in a lateral line. It was refreshing to see. I know Ash were so nervous about doing it, but they played brilliantly.”

It’s a reaction with which no one could disagree. There’s a greater emphasis on live music this time round and the live performances on the night are incredible. The Downpatrick collective set the place alight with scorching renditions of ‘Burn Baby Burn’ and ‘Shining Light’, Kittser warms everyone’s heart with a wonderful cover of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ and Bellefire’s ‘All I Want Is You’ seems to strike the right note, even with the song’s writers, who are sitting just twenty feet from the stage.

The Frames are absolutely incredible: their incendiary performance of ‘God Bless Mom’ left many a jaw visibly gaping, prompting both Radiohead members to enthuse unashamedly about the Dublin outfit after the show.

“The Frames are one of the best bands on the planet right now,” Niall Stokes of hotpress reflects, “and if this wasn’t to be their night in terms of picking up a gong, I wanted to use the Awards as a platform to show the world what they can do. You can sense from Glen that he lives, eats, sleeps and breathes music. He is a phenomenal performer and the rest of the band are right there with him: their delivery on the night of ‘God Bless Mom’ was fucking heart-stopping. Everyone I’ve spoken to since, from the plumber who came to fix the shower on Saturday morning to the industry big wigs who caught the performance, has been raving about them. I was hoping for that kind of reaction.”

The biggest cheer of the night, however, is reserved for Paul Noonan of BellX1 who plays an extremely moving ‘In Every Sunflower’ as a tribute to his partner and soul-mate, the late Uaneen Fitzsimons who, for so many people, will always be associated with the hotpress Awards.

Introducing Paul’s song, Mike Edgar, now the Head of Entertainment at BBC Northern Ireland, pays glowing tribute to Uaneen for her huge dedication to music, referring to her ‘infectious vitality’.

“She enriched all of our lives,” he says, before describing the much-missed Uaneen as “a music lover, a very fine broadcaster and a friend.”

The song, needless to say, is hair-raisingly beautiful, and a moving homage to a wonderful human being.

“I was terrified at the prospect of striking the wrong note at what might have been a pissed-up awards ceremony,” Paul notes later, “but people were very respectful. Most of the people in the room would have had some contact with Uaneen over the years and I certainly felt it was a unified moment of acknowledgement of her. As I was doing the song, I was lost in it and was completely oblivious that two members of my favourite band were sitting two metres away. So she’s still blagging me into some great parties.”

Those two members of Paul’s favourite band, Ed O’Brien and Colin Greenwood, accept the Best Songwriter Award on behalf of Neil Hannon, who is sadly unable to attend because of a family illness.

“Neil Hannon’s songwriting was a big inspiration to us when we were making The Bends,” says Colin Greenwood. ”We took him and his band on tour with us several times and really enjoyed the experience.” The Radiohead man goes on to thank, on Hannon’s behalf, “all the radio and press, north and south, who stick up for real music.”

The IMRO Emerging Songwriter Award, presented on the night by IMRO chairman Michael Hanrahan, goes to the man who many feel is going to be making acceptance speeches for many years to come, David Kitt.

Wickedly described by host Patrick Kielty as having “songwriting credits as long as a Gareth Gates sentence”, Kittser dedicates the award to his parents, calling them “the coolest couple in the world”.

“I wasn’t really expecting to win anything, to be honest,” he tells me later. “It was really nice to win something: it is a great opportunity to thank the people who mean most to you, who are my parents: they have been the most helpful and inspiring throughout my career.”

Kittser is even more delighted to be able to play live at the event. “I had an opportunity to play music to an audience that included a lot of people who haven’t heard of me before,” he enthuses, “and when you can communicate with music, as opposed to stepping up to a mic and trying to say something meaningful, that really helps.

“Otherwise, I don’t have much faith in the critical side of awards ceremonies: I think they are always motivated by a certain attempt to please certain people or to make it a bigger profile event, better for TV. I think a band like The Frames really should have won an award tonight. I think they have had an incredible year and made an incredible album.”

There is only one award left to dish out, that of Best Band, and the winners are the biggest band on the planet, U2. In picking up the ultimate honour, Adam Clayton is generous in his praise. “When we started out, hotpress were the only place where you could get information,” he recalls. “There were a lot of young writers, people who really cared about music. Dave Fanning was just starting out on pirate radio. It was the very beginning of the time when people (in Ireland) wrote their own songs and performed them themselves.”

He goes on to remember the late Bill Graham, describing him as “a visionary”.

“I think the dream of everyone who worked at hotpress then was that one day there would be a room full of talent as varied and successful as everyone here,” the bassist concludes. “It’s great to be here amongst such great company.”

All that’s left is for two of Ireland’s brightest lights, north and south, to join forces, Ash and The Frames taking to the stage together in what is a mouth-watering line-up. Imagine playing ‘Fantasy Rock Band’ and you’re getting there. Then, when the first familiar strains of ‘Debaser’ ring out, I’m convinced that I’ve died and gone to Pixie heaven. Their performance is incendiary, astonishing: Colm Mac Con Iomaire’s electric violin mixing it up with Charlotte Hatherley’s guitar assaults, and Tim and Glen sharing vocal duties in a barnstorming and brilliant rendition of a cathartic classic. Magnificent.

As Van Morrison almost said, nobody told me there’d be nights like this.