SAY Award reveals the 2023 trophies plus Modern Scottish Classic performances
SAY Award unveils the stunning bespoke art prizes this year’s Shortlist will receive plus fans can enjoy some incredible Modern Scottish Classicperformances at this year’s Ceremony.
Article Source: The SAY Award
Last Updated: 18 October 2023 11:49
18th October - With only one week to go until The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award Ceremony and 2023’s winner is revealed, the country’s national music prize has unveiled the stunning bespoke art prizes this year’s Shortlist will receive, expertly handcrafted from low-carbon concrete, with the winner’s prize set to be revealed exclusively at the Ceremony. Plus, fans can enjoy some incredible performances at this year’s Ceremony to celebrate Modern Scottish Classic Award winner Paolo Nutini’s ‘These Streets’, as well as a special set from Glasgow band Dead Pony to celebrate 10 years of PRS Foundation’s PPL Momentum Music Fund.
Taking place in the heart of Scotland at Stirling’s Albert Halls on Thursday 26 October, the biggest night in Scotland’s music calendar will see the country’s music industry and artists join alongside fans to celebrate 2023’s SAY Award Shortlist, as well as hear the exclusive announcement of the winner of The Sound of Young Scotland Award and celebrate this year’s Modern Scottish Classic Award winner, recently announced as Paolo Nutini’s ‘These Streets’.
Following a record-breaking 437 eligible album submissions for The SAY Award, which were whittled down to a Longlist of 20 and then a Shortlist of 10, one winner will be chosen and crowned Scottish Album of the Year live at The Albert Halls, Stirling.
Final Ceremony tickets from www.sayaward.com
The SAY Award Shortlist for 2023, with all albums in the running to win the £20,000 prize and coveted title of Scottish Album of the Year is:
Andrew Wasylyk Hearing the Water before Seeing the Falls
Becky Sikasa Twelve Wooden Boxes
Bemz Nova’s Dad
Brìghde Chaimbeul Carry Them With Us
Brooke Combe Black Is the New Gold
Cloth Secret Measure
Hamish Hawk Angel Numbers
Joesef Permanent Damage
Paolo Nutini Last Night In The Bittersweet
Young Fathers Heavy Heavy
Since its inception, The SAY Award has rewarded musical endeavour with artistic creativity. Each year, The SAY Award Design Commission funds a maker to create bespoke prizes for the musicians recognised at The SAY Award Ceremony, celebrating the reciprocal relationship between art and music. Stirling based makers were invited to respond to an open call, with this year’s Design Commission being awarded to local maker Brutal Concrete Workshop, tasked with designing 2023’s prizes.
Handmade in the shadow of the Wallace Monument in the very heart of Scotland, Stirling-based Stuart Blackman expertly crafts unique forms from low-carbon concrete. As part of The SAY Award’s commitment to sustainability, applicants were encouraged to think creatively about making sustainable prizes, focusing on circular designers, ethical considerations and a zero-waste approach. Bucking the trend of traditionally cast concrete, Brutal Concrete creates structures which appear to have been sculpted organically by wind, rain and other natural forces.
Stuart Blackman, founder of Brutal Concrete Workshop said, “It’s been a proper invigorating challenge to find a way to push these concrete structures in a sustainable direction. Traditional concrete has a high carbon footprint because of the heat required to manufacture the cement. But these trophies incorporate a new cement alternative made from recycled industrial by-products. This reduces the cement’s carbon footprint by up to 80%.”
The Shortlisted artists will each receive a statuesque concrete totem, bejewelled with recycled glass terrazzo. Sustainability was factored in at every stage of the design and manufacturing process, with the awards being cast in recycled moulds and packed in sustainable presentation boxes. The artists being awarded The Sound of Young Scotland and the Modern Scottish Classic Award will also receive one of Stuart’s unique creations, with their awards taking the form of satisfyingly robust concrete and terrazzo bowls. The prize for The SAY Award winner will be exclusively revealed at the Ceremony.
In addition to their bespoke concrete totem, each Shortlisted artist will also receive £1,000. The SAY Award Winner will receive a unique creation from Brutal Concrete Workshop, along with one of the UK music industry’s largest prize funds of £20,000. Artists including Paolo Nutini, Young Fathers, Joesef, Bemz, Becky Sikasa and more are on this year’s Shortlist, with each record set to be celebrated at the Ceremony. Previous years’ prizes created through The SAY Award Design Commission include ceramic bells, marbled jesmonite arches, and natural slate-veneer cubes.
Brutal Concrete Workshop designs homeware and jewellery using ‘contemporary concrete with a sensitive side’, resulting in robust, tactile and graceful pieces. Visit Brutal Concrete Workshop’s Instagram for more information.
Stirling Council leader Chris Kane said: “Stuart’s bespoke trophies look stunning and are concrete proof of the wealth of creative talent in the Stirling area. It’s fantastic that The SAY Award Design Commission offers a national platform for local crafters to exhibit their skills.
“Brutal Concrete Workshop has proven to be a worthy successor to Art Futuro – who were awarded the commission last year – with the high-quality submissions from Stirling’s creative community giving decision makers a huge selection headache.
“We’re only one week away from The SAY Award taking place right here in Stirling and we can’t wait to welcome artists, fans and industry representatives to our city for one of the biggest nights of the Scottish music calendar.”
CEREMONY PERFORMANCES TO INCLUDE CELEBRATIONS OF MODERN SCOTTISH CLASSIC WINNER…
2023’s SAY Award Shortlist, Modern Scottish Classic Award winner and Sound of Young Scotland Award finalists will be celebrated at this year’s SAY Award Ceremony, allowing a full-circle celebration of Scottish music throughout time;past, present and future.
As The Albert Halls prepares to host one of the biggest nights in Scottish music, The SAY Award has revealed a number of exciting performances including a special celebration of 2023’s Modern Scottish Classic Award winner, Paolo Nutini’s ‘These Streets’, featuring acts from this year’s Shortlist and Longlist, Becky Sikasa and Brownbear.
With Paolo Nutini named as both this year’s Modern Scottish Classic Award winner for ‘These Streets’ and on The SAY Award Shortlist with latest record ‘Last Night in the Bittersweet’, it could be double celebrations for the Paisley singer-songwriter on the night. As is tradition, the Modern Scottish Classic Award winner, presented in association with YouTube Music, will be honoured through a host of performances at the Ceremony. This year, fans can expect special renditions of tracks from ‘These Streets’ featuring artists from this year’s Shortlist and Longlist ; Becky Sikasa and Brownbear, backed by The SAY Award’s talented house band.
Lizzie Dickson, Head of Label Relations, YouTube UK said, "We are so looking forward to the Modern Scottish Classic live performances and celebrating this brilliant album with a room full of fans on the night.”
Glasgow quartet Dead Pony will also take to The Albert Halls stage to celebrate 10 years of PRS Foundation’s PPL Momentum Music Fund, which provides grants of £5k - £15k to artists across the UK trying to break through to the next level of their careers. As previous recipients of the Momentum fund, as well as former Sound of Young Scotland Award finalists, Dead Pony’s performance marks 10 years of the scheme supporting grassroots music in the UK. Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund has awarded over £5.2 million to over 526 artists, including the likes of Little Simz and Sam Fender.
Fans and artists will be treated to performances from 2022 SAY Award winner Fergus McCreadie who will open this year’s Ceremony, as well as one of Scotland’s most exciting new talents TAAHLIAH who will close out proceedings with a special live set.
SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL MUSIC PRIZE REVEALED LIVE!
The SAY Award Ceremony will once again be hosted by broadcasters Nicola Meighan and Vic Galloway, with a panel of esteemed judges choosing this year’s eventual SAY Award winner. Scotland’s
Following a celebration of all Shortlisted artists and some incredible performances, the winner of The Sound of Young Scotland Award (supported by Help Musicians, Youth Music Initiative and Youth Music) will be revealed live on the night. As an award designed to support the next generation of Scottish talent and give the winner the means to create their debut album, a panel of previous SAY Award nominees will choose 2023’s winner from five finalists: Danny Cliff, Pearling, Pippa Blundell, No Windows and Queen of Harps.
Finally, 2023’s Scottish Album of the Year Award winner will be revealed live at The Albert Halls in Stirling, home of this year’s Ceremony. Fans can stay tuned via SAY Award social media to find out who will claim Scotland’s national music prize on the night - follow the award on social media across Twitter @SAYaward, Instagram @sayaward, Facebook @SAYaward and TikTok @thesayaward
The SAY Award is a Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) production and has distributed over £330,000 in prize money to Scottish artists since its inception in 2012. The SAY Award 2023 is delivered in partnership with Creative Scotland, Stirling Council, Stirling Alive with Culture, YouTube Music, Seabass Vinyl, Ticketmaster, Help Musicians, HMV, FOPP, PPL, Spotify, Go Forth Stirling, Youth Music Initiative, Youth Music, Music Declares Emergency and The Golden Lion Hotel. The SAY Award’s Charity Partner for 2023 is Tiny Changes; Scotland’s very first national children and young people’s mental health charity funding projects and ideas that help young minds feel better.
Now in its twelfth year, previous winners of The SAY Award include; Fergus McCreadie ‘Forest Floor’ (2022), Mogwai ‘As The Love Continues' (2021), Nova ‘Re-Up’ (2020), Auntie Flo ‘Radio Highlife’ (2019), Young Fathers ‘Cocoa Sugar’ (2018), Sacred Paws ‘Strike A Match’ (2017), Anna Meredith ‘Varmints’ (2016), Kathryn Joseph ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ (2015), Young Fathers ‘Tape Two’ (2014), RM Hubbert ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ (2013) and the inaugural winner Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat ‘Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).
PHOTO CREDIT: CLAIR IRWIN
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