Villagers, David Holmes & Gary Lightbody among Ivor Novello Award nominees

It’s hearty congratulations to Conor J. O’Brien as Villagers’ Darling Arithmetic joins Jamie xx’s In Colour and Gaz Coombes’ Matador in receiving an Ivor Novello Album Award nod.
Due to be doled out on May 19 in London’s Grosvenor House, the nominees also include Snow Patrol duo Gary Lightbody and Johnny McDaid who are co-writers of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bloodstream’. He’s up against Wolf Alice’s ‘Bros’ and Jamie Lawson’s ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ for Best Song Musically & Lyrically. Lawson, of course, being the man who Sheeran last year signed to his Gingerbread label.
Gary and Johnny’s Bangor buddy Iain Archer is nominated in the Music Most Performed Work category as co-author of James Bay’s ‘Hold Back The River’. They’re up against Jess Glynne’s ‘Hold My Hand’ and Years & Years’ ‘King’.
In what is a very good year for the Northern Ireland music mafia, David Holmes’ London Spy score tussles with And Then There Were None and From Darkness for Best Television Soundtrack
The rest of the runners and riders are:
Best Contemporary Song – Snakehips’ ‘All My Friends’, Roots Manuva’s ‘Cargo’ and Skepta’s ‘Shutdown’
Best Original Score: Ex_Machina, Pan and The Duke Of Burgundy