The Plastic Bag Awards 2008

It's the end of another year so welcome to my own personal gong ceremony with The Baggies 2008. It's been a pretty awful year on the personal front but there have been some spectacular highs and some marvellous shows and gigs so let's jump straight in!

Best Video

The nominees are:

• The B-52's - 'Funplex'
• Amanda Palmer - 'Leeds United'
• Boy George - 'Yes You Can'
• Pink - 'So What'
  
• Amanda Palmer - 'Oasis'

I must give a special mention to The Imagined Village for their performance of 'Cold, Hailey Rainy Night' on Jools which wasn't a video but should've been. And the award for best video goes to Amanda Palmer's 'Leeds United', a fun video and even better, one I could have been in if only I'd gotten out of bed a bit sooner that Sunday morning.

Best Film

I didn't get to see many films at the cinema this year and missed all the summer blockbusters since I was otherwise engaged so the nominees reflect those that I saw rather than a more objective 'best':

• 'Sweeney Todd'
• 'The Golden Compass'
• 'Mamma Mia!'
• 'Hellboy II'
• 'National Treasure: Book Of Secrets'

I also saw 'White Christmas', of course, but it would be unfair to include a film of such longevity and class in the nominations. The Baggie goes to 'Sweeney Todd' for being a dark adventure and for the excellent performance of Helena Bonham Carter.

Best New Song

• Buffy Sainte-Marie - 'Cho Cho Fire'
• The B-52's - 'Funplex'
• Amanda Palmer - 'Leeds United'
• Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - 'Fareweel Regality'
• Boy George - 'Yes You Can'

This is a difficult category since there have been some marvellous new songs this year, too many to include in the nominees list (I would've liked to include Pink's 'So What' for it's glam stomp, Sugababes' 'You On A Good Day' for it's Sweet intro and Goldblade & Poly Styrene's 'City Of Christmas Ghosts' for being the best new Christmas song in years but that's too many). The award for best new song goes to Buffy Sainte-Marie's 'Cho Cho Fire' for it's pow wow stomp and lyrics that call us into a bigger world.

Best New Album

• The B-52's - 'Funplex'
• Buffy Sainte-Marie - 'Running For The Drum'
• Amanda Palmer - 'Who Killed Amanda Palmer'
• Sugababes - 'Catfights And Spotlights'
• Blood Red Shoes - 'Box Of Secrets

It's been a good year for new albums with excellent new records from the likes of Donna Summer and Cyndi Lauper, from Madonna and Britney Spears, from Oasis and The Dresden Dolls. Records from oldies and newies and all exciting and fresh. This is an especially difficult category this year so the award is shared between Buffy Sainte-Marie for her first album of new material in 16 years and Amanda Palmer for her first solo album. Congratulations to the joint winners!

Best Theatre - Drama

My year at the theatre started and ended with Shakespeare plays in two vibrant productions and both are nominated in the shortlist:

• 'Much Ado About Nothing'
• 'War Horse'
• 'The Year Of Magical Thinking'
• 'August: Osage County'
• 'Twelfth Night'

The award goes to 'Much Ado About Nothing' and the excellent partnership of Zoe Wannamaker and Simon Russell Beale - who can ever forget them both falling into the same pool of water on stage? The theatre seemed to visibly lighten whenever Zoe Wannamaker arrived on stage and she and Simon fed off each other throughout the play. Well done!

Best Theatre - Musical

• 'The Harder They Come'
• 'La Cage Aux Folles'
• 'Xanadu'
• 'Come Dancing'
• 'A Little Night Music'

This is another difficult one, especially since I saw 'Harder' five times, 'Come Dancing' three times and 'La Cage' twice. I would've liked to have seen 'Xanadu and 'Night Music' again. So, overall, a good year, at least for the things I like. If only because I saw it the most, the Baggie must go to 'The Harder They Come' and I will expect the exquisite Pinky to pick it up personally.

Best Theatre - Entertainment

This is, essentially, an odds and ends category, theatrical entertainments that aren't really plays or musicals. The nominees are:

• Cirque Du Soleil's 'Verakai'
• Adele Anderson at VauxhallVille
• Justin Bond's 'Lustre'
• Matthew Bourne's 'Edward Scissorhands'
• Monkey: Journey To The West

And the winner is Justin Bond's 'Lustre', a melange of variety show, gender politics and odd frocks. I like hearing Justin talk and go off on his flights of fancy (yes, the recession really is all his fault). I loved it and went twice.

Best Live Performance

This category is all about that one individual performance that sends you into the stratosphere in joy or into the depths of pain - it affects you.

• Mary J Blige - ' No More Drama'
• Ray Davies - 'Tired Of Waiting For You'
• Macy Gray - 'Creep'
• Boy George - 'Bow Down Mister'
• The Human League - 'Being Boiled'

I've seen some spectacular performances this year, from the emotionally draining and wrecking of Mary J Blige's 'No More Drama' where she was on her knees and draining the audience of all emotion to the euphoria of Boy George's 'Bow Down Mister' and its Krishna chanting. But the Baggie goes to The Human League and 'Being Boiled' for the drama and electronic beats of yesteryear, red-lighted stage and Phil Oakey in full on rock god mode. Big wow.

Best New Artist

I haven't seen that many new artists this year (unlike last year) so there are only three worthy nominees:

• Novice Theory
• Our Lady J
• Laura Marling

The Baggie goes to Novice Theory (Geo Wyeth) for great visual performance, excellent songs and so much potential. The songs on his first album are personal, tales of his family and sexuality and it'll be interesting to see how he develops. I have high hopes for Mr Theory.

Best Legend

This is a new category of the Baggies simply because I've seen so many legends from the 60s and 70s this year and all are nominated:

• Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Ronnie Spector
• Linton Kwesi Johnson
• Linda Lewis
• Ray Davies
• Poly Styrene
• John Lydon
• Petula Clark
• Alan Price
• Martha Reeves

That's a pretty impressive list but the award goes to Ray Davies for strolling on stage and singing 'Tired Of Waiting For You' at the opening of his 'Come Dancing' musical. The first time I saw the musical I was a mere 10 feet or so from Mr Davies and I couldn't help but be thrilled.

Best Gig

I've seen about 30 gigs this year, a goodly number and most were really good and enjoyable but they can't all be nominated. Narrowing it down to five is so difficult.

• Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Amanda Palmer
• X-Ray Spex
• The Human League
• The B-52's

Special mentions must go to Buffy Sainte-Marie who is always a thrill to see since it happens so rarely, and especially since she sang the magnificent 'Cod'ine' and tracks from her new album; to Amanda Palmer for performing with her broken foot in plaster; for Poly Styrene and X-Ray Spex and waiting 30 years to see her; and for the magnificent B-52's for being mad but the world is better for their being in it.

The award for best gig of 2008 goes to The Human League as part of the Steel City Tour. Every song was a classic, a fabulous light show, the thrill of seeing the three of them again and those atmospheric electrobeats - what more could you ask for? A big wow for that show!

So that's The Baggies for 2008. Well done and thanks to all - and many not mentioned - for a great year. Here's looking forward to 2009...