The 15th NMG Awards ceremony took place at The Apex and it was an incredible night! The NMG (New Music Generator) Awards are to celebrate, acknowledge and showcase the amazing emerging musical artists from across East Anglia. All of whom have been played on The New Music Generator flagship show (NMG) hosted by Tim Willett, every Wednesday evening from 7pm (subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@NewMusicGenerator
I’ve been attending the NMG Awards for a few years now and it is a highlight of the year, however this year was completely buzzing. The energy and atmosphere were through the roof all night. There was something special in the air.
Doors opened early for people to grab drinks, catch up with each other and get their red carpet photos taken by the wonderful Haggle Photos. People had dressed up for the occasion and were ready for the evening ahead.
The first live performance of the night was from Lost Robbins which helped bring everyone into the auditorium. Not only was it a signal for people to sit down, Lost Robbins had the duty of setting the energy for the night, and boy did they! Their performance was spirited, exciting and completely proved not only why they won the Breakout award but why they are getting a huge following for their music.
The format of the night follows the same pattern of a mix of presenting awards interspersed with live performances and of course thanking the sponsors, who without their support things like these events cannot happen. The judges worked tirelessly in the few weeks in the run up going through all the submissions and attempting to narrow the categories down to the top 5 shortlist.
So let’s take a look at what happened:
AWARD WINNERS:
Indie: Bag of Cans
Pop: FFINIX
Female Solo: SJ Mortimer
Male Solo: George Bone
Rock: A Different Kitchen
Alternative: Dog At The Opera
Rap: Tone Blanco
18 & Under: Mirada
Heavy: Bangkitan
Electronic & Experimental: Fred Close Folk & Americana: Ross Stewart
New Band: The Disagreement
Breakthrough Artist: Lost Robbins
Breakout Artist: Chest
Audience Choice: Jamie Wiltshire
Audience Voted Awards:
Venue of the Year: The Portland Arms
Producer of the Year: Jake Day
Video of the Year: The Frestonians
Festival of the Year: Strawberry Fair
The live performances were a great mix and a couple of the performances were a combined effort from more than one artist, which was a great idea:
Lost Robbins
Hollow Waves
George Bone
Mullholland Jive
Mirada
The Contrives & The Disagreements
Seasonz & guests who were Maxwell & Dominyka
Headcheck
Fleas
What’s so good with The NMG Awards are the Artists Development Prizes, where all the prizes are useful for emerging artists who have tight budgets to get their music out there. Prizes included things like merch bundle, van hire, publicity shoot, studio time, headline gig, gig & festival slots and more.
Winners:
Sam Milne & The Tyrants, Read The Room, Gabby Rivers, Lost Robbins, Isla May, Crying in Colour, The Contrives, The Fifth Flaw, Ross Stewart, Hollow Waves, Conra, Pink Serene, Like Optimists, Kinlis, A Different Kitchen, Accidental Fortune, BlankTalk.
In a complete surprise to host and founder Tim Willett, the night included a special honour: the NMG Legacy Award. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the awards, the tribute recognised Tim’s decade-and-a-half of championing independent artists. In a wonderful moment, a video compilation of recorded messages from acts he has promoted over the years played on the screen, leaving Tim struggling to keep his composure. There was a standing ovation.
As always we must genuinely thank the sponsors:
Here We Aren’t, Grapevine, East Anglian Festival Network, The Plough – Shepreth, The Portland Arms, Neon Street Touring, Cambridge Wine Royston, Hamford Studio, Hunter Club Arts Centre, ShyCat, Bandmade Merch, OffBeat Tickets, Sugar Tours, Buntingford Brewery, Behind The Music
Emerging from the shadowy depths of Suffolk, James Morgan is a modern day troubadour with a rebellious edge, weaving folk songs that pack a punch of punk and the spirit of a renegade. He’s a seasoned traveler, with countless miles under his belt from Scotland to Cornwall, serenading pubs, bars, and festival crowds along the way. Each journey stirs up tales for his music, where stories of restless wanderers, vengeful assassins, and mutinous pirates come to life. For James, the road isn’t just a destination: it’s where he finds his wild muse and a touch of chaos.
“My Best Move” is James Morgan’s unexpected venture into love songs—a heartfelt, raw tribute to meeting and marrying his wife. Known for writing about outlaws and rogues, James never planned on tackling romance, but for her, he made an exception.
Inspired by the sudden loss of a close songwriting friend, he decided to get back in the studio and release new material. With its genuine warmth and a touch of his signature edge, “My Best Move” captures a rare, tender side of James, celebrating the one move he’s certain he got right.
Something missing is the second EP from Norfolk Based singer song writer Kitty-May
A talented young artist from East Anglia, making waves as a beautifully wistful song writer invoking the folk sounds of the 60s and 70s while firmly staking a claim in the modern pop world.
Kitty-May’s hauntingly laid back vocals float over a powerfully chord driven sound pushed along by some low-fi hip hop beat to create something timeless and interesting in the singer songwriter genre.
Weaving together a sound that is both electronic and organic in a truly sonically pleasing way Kitty-May has really come into her own and found her sound on this new record the EP invokes strong feelings of nostalgia yet also feels like a real Coming of Age record.
‘Something Missing’ is out now on catch 21 Records available to stream on all major streaming services .
In the space of two EPs, Good Health Good Wealth have ridden a first wave of tastemaker attention, their amalgamation of alternative indie and UK hip-hop earning Radio 1 plays from Jack Saunders and Sian Eleri plus praise from whynow and Louder Than War. But the London-based duo are perfectly primed to take the sharp wit and astute social commentary to much wider audiences, starting with today’s release of the new single ‘Full Circle’. The track has just received its first play courtesy of John Kennedy at Radio X and previews their upcoming third EP.
‘Full Circle’ sees vocalist, producer and songwriter Bruce Breakey narrate a day-in-the-life of an ordinary twenty-something man in London. While that’s the location, what he surveys is replicated right across the land: a country full of decimated high streets in which you’re only ever a few steps away from a chicken shop or a sports bar populated with coked-up punters playing pool. But that stark portrayal is lightened by the barbed wit of eviscerating lyrics like, “My jeans are full of more holes than a racist’s argument.” The music flows just as essentially, feeling a little like The Streets going back to their roots with a touch of the taut intensity of clipping.
Bruce says, “There’s so much happening in the world right now but I don’t feel like I’m the man to speak on it. I’ve got too many parking tickets to pay off. This song is for everyone, from the people who spend more time down the local pub than at home, to the people who spend more time at work than with their families. To those of us raised on McDonald’s, when we took the Happy Meal on face value, double cheap and an absolute treat.
Everyday life isn’t often that glamorous and we might feel like the little things don’t matter, but to most people that’s all we have time for – and there’s nothing wrong with that. The little things are just as meaningful.”
‘Full Circle’ was solely written and produced by Good Health Good Wealth.
Bruce’s Good Health Good Wealth cohort is the guitarist and producer Simon Kuzmickas, whose earliest musical memories stemmed from travelling with his dad to a post-soviet era underground pirate CD market in his home country of Lithuania. Back in London they first met – where else? – over a drink at Wetherspoons. Whether it was curry night or steak night is lost to memory, but the important thing was that the roots of Good Health Good Wealth were set. They first formed a punk band, but lockdown pushed them in a different direction: they found writing and producing a more productive creative conduit rather than simply jamming.
Drawing on eclectic influences like N.E.R.D., Daft Punk, Kanye West, The Streets and Mac Miller and referencing pop culture figures as varied as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Clark Gable and Gucci Mane, their sound evolved and broke away from genre conventions over the course of two EPs (‘RICH’ and last year’s ‘Everyone Feels Like This’) and a handful of standalone tracks. Along the way they’ve teamed up with select collaborators such as The Skinner Brothers, Happy Cat Jay, SUBCULTURE, Hard-Fi and Rarelyalways, while recent festival sets have included the Isle of Wight, Truck and Brockwood.
And what’s in a name? Good Health Good Wealth instantly sticks in the mind and makes for killer merch, but there’s substance behind it too. Conceived as a light-hearted moniker, they realised the power of the message behind it after losing a close friend to health issues caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. While their lyrics sometimes reference the low-key pleasures of fast food, the name also references a simple truth: for many of us good health is as close as we’ll ever come to good wealth. But there’s a playful side to them too, as demonstrated by a Flight of the Conchords-style music industry satire video that they recently posted on socials.
Good Health Good Wealth recently sold-out a London headline show at The Social, and are now set to play their first international gig on the This Feeling / Radio X stage at Viva Sounds in Gothenburg on November 30th. They recently announced their next London headline show at The Lower Third on February 7th.
