The GIT Award 2016 shortlist revealed ahead of Constellations ceremony in May

The GIT Award 2016 shortlist is revealed ahead of Constellations spectacle on Saturday May 14.

Merseyside music prize, The GIT Award, can today reveal the 12 shortlisted artists for the 2016 edition.

All 12 plus the 2016 One To Watch winner, to be revealed in due course, will feature at a special event at Constellations in Liverpool’s thriving Baltic Triangle on Saturday 14 May 2016.

Speaking about this year’s shortlist, Bella Union Records founder, former Cocteau Twin, and GIT Award judge, Simon Raymonde, said: “I’ve been part of the voting process for the last two years now and you’d think by now I wouldn’t be surprised to be so blown away by not just the quality we had to choose from but the volume of the quality! So yes, we got it down to this excellent final 12, but believe me, cutting it even down from 50 was a task and a half. The diversity of the styles was striking but more than that, the quality was of a super high standard. I know this was kinda the same story last year, but truly I had GREAT difficulty in leaving out some artists for the final 12! I travel a lot in my job and hear a lot of negativity, mostly of “the quality just isn’t there any more” and “there’s very little to get excited about this year” variety, and each time I hear that, it gets my goat. The quality is literally so high in so many places, inevitably much of it slips through the cracks! There simply are not enough platforms or media outlets to cope with the volume of excellent music that is out there. And while smaller venues keep closing, the opportunities dwindle even further. And THIS is why the GIT Award is a vital part of my calendar and one I am always happy to be involved with. Listen up and you’ll see and hear exactly what I mean!”

The GIT Award 2016 shortlist is:

Clean Cut Kid

Dragged Into Sunlight

Hooton Tennis Club

L U M E N

MiC LOWRY

Mugstar

RongoRongo

Bill Ryder-Jones

Stealing Sheep

Trudy

TVAM

The Vryll Society

The GIT (Getintothis) Award, champions the best new Merseyside music providing a snapshot of the year while recognising significant artistic achievement across a range of musical styles.

And the 2016 shortlist is no different…

From Deltasonic-signed psychedelic collective The Vryll Society to Polydor Records’ fuzzy-poppers Clean Cut Kid through to do-wop trio Trudy; electronic machinehead TVAM, Heavenly Recordings’ slacker rock & rollers Hooton Tennis Club and mutant-rock outfit RongoRongo; through to fast-rising soul pop band MiC LOWRY and death metal behemoths Dragged Into Sunlight; through to critics’ pop diamonds Stealing Sheep and Domino Records’ visionary Bill Ryder-Jones; through to cosmic Rock Action Records’ droners Mugstar and bedroom electropop L U M E N  – this year’s GIT Award shortlist represents a kaleidoscopic musical picture few cities in the world could match.

Jeff Barrett, founder of Heavenly Recordings, and GIT Award 2016 judge, said: “Here at Heavenly we’re really excited to be part of the GIT Award again this year. It’s great that the Award is in its fifth year, as it is a great way to celebrate music from the Merseyside. The selection of artists on the shortlist is proof once again that music from Merseyside is as exciting and eclectic as ever. When last year saw the closure of one of our favourite venues and art spaces The Kazimier, it’s fantastic to see that the music has not been lost and that these young groups are constantly reinventing themselves in interesting and innovative ways despite the changing landscapes around them.”

This year’s shortlist was selected by international industry figureheads consisting of ex-Cocteau Twins member and founder of Bella Union Records Simon Raymonde; General Manager of 4AD Records Rich Walker; Heavenly Recordings founder Jeff Barrett; communications manager at Vevo, Dot Levine; BBC 6 Music DJs Gideon Coe and Jon Hillcock; The Unsigned Guide editor, Louise Dodgson; editor of The Music Manual Lauren Jones; Sentric Music’s Simon Pursehouse; Amazing Radio presenter  Shell Zenner; Bido Lito! editor Chris Torpey; founder of Liverpool Music Week Mike Deane; John Doran, editor of The Quietus; EVOL promoter Steve Miller; Liverpool International Music Festival curator Yaw Owusu; plus GIT Award founder and Liverpool ECHO journalist Peter Guy.

Reflecting on this year’s shortlist, Dot Levine, from Vevo, said: “Once again the talent put forward for this year’s GIT Award was incredibly high. Whittling it down was tough but we are left with an outstanding and diverse list of artists. Liverpool has done it again, and all acts on this list are making a huge noise and getting attention well outside of Merseyside.”

BBC’s 6Music DJ, Jon Hillcock, added: “What a list! Where else would apocalyptic face-warping deathcore sit so comfortably alongside concise dayglo indie, streamlined R&B and motorik psych-pop? After weeks of delicate negotiation, patient listening and passionate (mostly polite) conflict, here are twelve examples of how and why forward-thinking music Merseyside is thriving.”

Dubbed ‘the Scouse Mercury Prize,’ backed by Yoko Ono and the cornerstones of Merseyside’s flourishing cultural community, the winner of the GIT Award 2016 will be revealed on Saturday 14 May 2016 at Constellations on Greenland Street in Liverpool’s thriving Baltic Triangle.

As in previous years, the winner will receive a specially commissioned trophy – this year by Liverpool-based architectural company, Archiphonic plus a cheque for £1,000. Each nominee will also receive a beautifully-crafted memento.

EVOL promoter and GIT Award judge Steve ‘Revo’ Miller, added: “It’s been my fifth season judging the GIT Award and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. I’m pretty much a one man band with my events so meeting with the judges and discussing the entries is great. We all work hard and know our stuff but we all discover new things – it’s been tough to get to the final 12 this year, there could easily be 24 or more; the levels of talent are that high in and around Liverpool. We’re there though and the final 12 really reflect how well rounded the scene is, from the top tier of signed bands to unsigned new artists breaking through, and the Award shows that no matter your musical style you can do what you love and build your own career in music – it’s all possible.”

Having relaunched for the fifth year with a wild party at Liverpool’s new venue The Buyers Club, the GIT Award judges met on seven occasions, discussing nearly 300 eligible artists and bands, before carefully whittling them down to just 12.

Those 12 will now feature at the industry showcase on Saturday 14 May 2016 and will include performances from some of the shortlisted artists plus DJs, an in-house jam band and specially produced set piece spectacles.

Also on the night, a special Inspiration Award, recognising services to Liverpool’s music industry will also be presented. Previous recipients are Alan Wills & Deltasonic (2015) Africa Oye (2014), Hillsborough Justice Collective (2013) and The Kazimier (2012).

GIT Award founder and chair of judges, Peter Guy, said: “When The GIT Award began five years ago, new Liverpool music was sadly under-represented on a national scale with few eyes or ears taking notice – now it’s widely considered to be the focal point for the best emerging UK artists. Once again, this year’s GIT Award nominations shortlist goes a long way to prove that, with artists from across all spheres creating music imploring listeners take note. Reaching this year’s 12 shortlist was by far the hardest yet – and it’s a testament to the hard work, creativity and imagination of those musicians who ply their trade on our doorsteps each and every week – we’re very lucky to have them. I’m hugely excited for our event at Constellations on May 14 – it’s going to be quite something.”

Limited tickets & event link: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/347382

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