Enter Shikari top AIM Award nominations

The Association of Independent Music (AIM) are excited to announce the full category shortlists for the second AIM Independent Music Awards.

Leading lights of the rock scene, Enter Shikari top the list with a total of three nominations for Best Live Act, Hardest Working Band and Independent Album of the Year, for their third album, A Flash Flood of Colour. Following closely on their heels are Alabama Shakes who are nominated for Independent Breakthrough Of The Year and Independent Album Of The Year for their critically acclaimed album, Boys & Girls. Hot from his performance at the Olympic Opening Ceremony Frank Turner picks up two nominations for Best Live Act & Hardest Working Act and finally the Nutty Boys, Madness have clocked up nominations for PPL Award For Most Played Independent Act and the Special Catalogue Release Of The Year.

Enter Shikari said of the nominations - "Its an honour to be nominated for not one but three awards. the Independent Album of the Year and Best Live Act award nominations mean a lot to us, and the Hardest Working Band feels appropriate right now (at time of writing, we're in a jet lagged haze in Brisbane, Australia). Even if we end up walking away with no actual awards, it was nice that the independent world thought of us enough to nominate us for these coveted gongs. Bring it on."

An excited Madness said "Just when we thought we couldn't top the Jubilee and The Olympics along come two nominations from AIM to knock our socks off."

Alongside a wealth of established mainstream talent nominated including The Prodigy, Adele and Arctic Monkeys, the AIM Independent Music Awards also feature nominations for some of the music scene's brightest new talents, rising stars and underground heroes, including Django Django, Alt-J, Grimes, Poliça, First Aid Kit, Skinny Lister, Rustie, Liars, Future of the Left, The Invisible and Amon Tobin.

With 11 of the Awards' categories voted for by an expert panel of judges from across the music industry and a further 3 categories voted for by the public, the Awards honour the abundance of outstanding artistic, label and entrepreneurial talent within the independent music sector. Taking place on October 29th 2012 at The Brewery in Clerkenwell, London, the ceremony will be hosted by renowned radio presenters Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq.

CEO of AIM Alison Wenham said of the awards. "We have doubled capacity for this years 'Most Difficult Second AIM Awards (!)' and the nominations are once again outstanding. These awards will recognise another great year for independents' creativity and ingenuity, with Ninja Tune and Xtra Mile leading the nominations list. The companies and artists are all so special they should all get a medal, but a decent three course meal and an evening spent amongst friends is a prize in itself."

With Edwyn Collins and Mute's Daniel Miller already announced as recipients of the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award and the Pioneer Award respectively, the winners for the remaining 13 categories, will be unveiled exclusively at the ceremony.

AIM INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES:

Best Live Act (voted for by visitors to thefly.co.uk)
The Cribs
Dub Pistols
Enter Shikari
The Prodigy
Frank Turner

Independent Breakthrough Of The Year (in association with 7Digital)
Alabama Shakes
Alt - J
Django Django
Grimes
Poliça

Hardest Working Band Or Artist
65daysofstatic
Cancer Bats
Enter Shikari
Frank Turner
Skinny Lister

Best Difficult Second Album
Admiral Fallow - Tree Bursts In Snow
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Speech Debelle - Freedom Of Speech
The Invisible - Rispah
The Skints - Part & Parcel

Independent Album Of The Year (In association with Bird & Bird)
Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
Liars - Wixiw
Future Of The Left – The Plot Against Common Sense
Rustie - Glass Swords

Best Small Label (in association with Sound Performance)
Alcopop! Records
Black Butter Records
Brainfeeder
Pink Mist
Xtra Mile Recordings

Genre Spotlight Award
Broadcaster Ft Peggy Seeger - Folksploitation
Lorn - Ask The Dust
Neil Cowley Trio - The Face Of Mount Molehill
Netsky - 2
Wiley - Evolve Or Be Extinct

Independent Entrepreneur Of The Year (in association with The Orchard)
Alex Di Savoia - Aardvark Records
Chris Goss / Tony Colman / Tom Kelsey - Hospital Records
Louis Barabbas - Debt Records
Sam Dyson - Distiller Records
Simon Raymonde - Bella Union

PPL Award For Most Played Independent Act
Adele
Arctic Monkeys
Caro Emerald
Madness
Travis

Special Catalogue Release Of The Year
Amon Tobin - Amon Tobin
Madness - A Guided Tour Of Madness
Can - The Lost Tapes
The 13th Floor Elevators - Music Of The Spheres
Various Artists - The Original Sound Of Cumbia

Independent Label Of The Year (in association with EDC)
4ad
Bella Union
Hospital Records
Hyperdub
Ninja Tune

Indie Champion Award
Olli Dutton - Obscene Strategies
Ian Evans - IME Music
Steve Lamacq – BBC 6music
Katie Parsons - Kerrang!
Shell Zenner - Amazing Radio

Best Independent Festival (voted for by visitors to thisisfakediy.com)
In The Woods Festival
Truck Festival
Y Not Festival
Leefest
Bearded Theory

AIM: http://www.musicindie.com/home
Awards website: http://www.musicindie.com/awards
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIMIndependentMusicAwards
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AIMAwards