Nominations revealed for 2016 Kerrang! awards

Kerrang! has unveiled their definitive shortlist of rock royalty and upstarts leading the charge for the Kerrang! Awards 2016 which takes place on June 9. London’s Troxy will once again host the legendary night of rock n roll pandemonium, with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness and Skindred’s Benji Webb leading the festivities. This year, for the first time, the Kerrang! Awards will be teaming up with Help Musicians UK (HMUK), the country’s leading music charity for a groundbreaking partnership.

Last year was the first year that fans were able to attend the ceremony; this year Kerrang! are taking it up a notch by combining the ceremony with a full scale live gig. British metalcore giants Asking Alexandria will be hitting the stage and kicking off the party in debauched style. With more special guests to be announced, the Kerrang! Awards will once again be the highlight of the rock and showbiz calendar. Tickets are on sale now and available from www.kerrangtickets.co.uk

Front runners Biffy Clyro have picked up two nominations this year. The Scottish rock powerhouse up are for Best British Band, but will have to fend off recent chart toppers Bring Me The Horizon, bonafide heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, the political post-hardcore pioneers Enter Shikari and Asking Alexandria. ‘The Biff’ also nabbed themselves a Best Event presented by Kerrang! TV nomination after their spectacular headline set at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.

Best Event presented by Kerrang! TV is set to be a tough call; Guns N Roses shocked recently with the world’s most unlikely reunion which saw Slash, Axl Rose and Duff McKagen on stage for the first time in 23 years. Elsewhere, masked metallers Slipknot came out guns blazing, bringing their trademark explosive mayhem to Alexandra Palace. Surrey rockers You Me At Six get the nod for their benefit show to help with metal outfit The Ghost Inside’s medical fees after a horrific bus crash. Aussie pop-punkers Five Seconds Of Summer will be out representing for their ‘Sounds Live, Feels Live’ tour.

All Time Low get their second nomination of the night, with their hit single ‘Missing You’ up for Best Track presented by Kerrang! Radio. They’re up against the almighty Panic! At The Disco for ‘Emporer’s New Clothes’, Brighton’s biggest metalcore export Architects with ‘A Match Made In Heaven’, emo rockers Moose Blood’s ‘Honey,’ and Against The Current who are led by YouTuber turned rockstar Chrissy Costanza.

Best Live Band presented by Red Stripe is a truly international affair, with Japan’s teenage metal idols  and last year’s ‘Spirit Of Independence’ winners BabyMetal picking up a nomination after their huge Wembley Arena show. America gets a good showing with the chart topping Twenty One Pilots who impressed with their dynamic live show, alongside LA glam metallers Black Veil Brides who have consistently been on top of their game. Watford’s finest punks Frank Carter & The Rattle Snakes are representing for Ol Blighty with their frenetic live shows and Finnish symphonic metal superstars Nightwish who’re renowned for their epic performances.

Iron Maiden get a second nomination for Best Album presented by Zippp for their first full-length in five years ‘The Book Of Souls’, alongside No Devotion for their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Permanence’ and Wrexham pop-punk heroes Neck Deep – who’ve been gruellingly touring their album ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ world-wide. Back in the metal corner Asking Alexandria get their second nomination for their first album with new vocalist Denis Stoff ‘The Black’ and Baroness for their epic triumphant ‘Purple’.

There’s been a plethora of breakout stars and home grown talent this year; with The Struts receiving their first ever Kerrang! Nomination for Best British Newcomer, alongside new-grave up and comers Creeper, 90s grunge revivalists Milk Teeth, shoegazey DIY punk rockers Muncie girls and London riffmeisters Counterfeit also receiving their first ever nomination.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, All Time Low are nominated in a second category for Best International Band presented by Fireball. They’ll go toe-to-toe with metal gods Metallica, alongside electro rockers PVRIS, Floridian rockers A Day To Remember and pop-punk veterans Fall Out Boy.

Keeping things transatlantic, New Orleans nu metal outfit Cane Hill are up for Best International Newcomer presented by Help Musicians, against Atlanta’s Biters who are fresh off the Kerrang! Tour, scrappy Philadelphia three-piece Beach Slang, Kansas Missouri’s own Beautiful Bodies and Canadian alt-punk rockers The Dirty Nil.

Kerrang! Editor James McMahon said: “This year’s Kerrang! Awards nominations are the definition of strong. All Killer, No Filler as our 2016 Kerrang! Tour headliners Sum 41 might say. There’s no category you look at and think, ‘yup, Guns N’ Roses are going to walk away with that…’, and I think that’s testament to just what a strong rock scene  – globally, and closer to home – we exist within right now. Normally when I have to write quotes for press releases like this, I say something like, “OMG, I’m so excited about the night!” but to be honest, I just feel a bit sad about it. It’s going to be a bloodbath. Many brilliant bands are going to go home disappointed. I might start drinking now. It goes without saying, mind, that Kerrang! Is very, very proud to be surrounded by as much talent as we have been at any point in our 35 year old history. But yeah, definitely starting drinking now…”

Other categories include: Best Film, Best Fanbase, Best Video Game, Best Comic Book, Best Festival and more.

For the first time, Kerrang! is teaming up with Help Musicians UK (HMUK), the country’s leading music charity. Whilst HMUK is focused on helping musicians at every stage of their careers and lives, the charity will be launching its landmark #hearformusicians musician’s hearing campaign. As Chief Executive, Richard Robinson, explains: “If you’ve got a reputation for turning your amps up to ELEVEN, now’s the time to think about how your hearing is suffering and how best to protect it. Help Musicians UK is absolutely delighted to be at the Kerrang! Awards and we’ll be at the centre of the mayhem – but we might have a few slightly serious messages too. As the UK’s leading music charity we’re so pleased Kerrang! have let us in and you’ll hear more about us in the magazine in coming months.”

The Kerrang! Awards are always guaranteed to be the biggest party in town, and this year is no exception. With an incredible list of home grown acts, huge rock stars, and a live show for the very first time, this is set to be the biggest and best Kerrang! awards yet. Voting is now open here

Sponsors for the Kerrang! Awards 2016 include Troxy, Zippo, Strongbow, Kerrang! TV, Kerrang! Radio. Red Stripe is the official Beer Sponsor whilst Fireball is the official whisky partner.

Kerrang.com

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@KerrangMagazine

FULL NOMINATIONS FOR THE RELENTLESS KERRANG! AWARDS 2015

 

BEST EVENT – Presented by Kerrang! TV

Guns N’ Roses – Las Vegas Reunion Shows

5 Seconds Of Summer – Sounds Live Feels Live tour

Slipknot – Alexandra Palace shows

You Me At Six – The Ghost Inside Benefit Show

Biffy Clyro – Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

 

BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER – Presented by Help Musicians

Counterfeit

Creeper

Milk Teeth

Muncie Girls

The Struts

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL NEWCOMER

Cane Hill

The Dirty Nil

Beach Slang

Beautiful Bodies

Biters

 

BEST TRACK – Presented by Kerrang! Radio

Moose Blood – Honey

Against The Current – Running With The Wild Things

Panic! At The Disco – Emperor’s New Clothes

Architects – A Match Made In Heaven

All Time Low – Missing You

 

BEST LIVE BAND – Presented by Red Stripe

Black Veil Brides

BABYMETAL

twenty one pilots

Nightwish

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

 

BEST ALBUM – Presented by Zippo

Iron Maiden – The Book Of Souls

Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out To Get You

Asking Alexandria – The Black

No Devotion – Permanence

Baroness – Purple

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND

All Time Low

Metallica

PVRIS

A Day To Remember

Fall Out Boy

 

BEST BRITISH BAND

Bring Me The Horizon

Iron Maiden

Enter Shikari

Biffy Clyro

Asking Alexandria

 

BEST FANBASE

Gerard Way

Pierce The Veil

Black Veil Brides

Paramore

twenty one pilots

 

BEST FILM

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Deadpool

Minions

Ant-Man

Jurassic World

 

BEST TV SHOW

The Walking Dead

Daredevil

Jessica Jones

Making A Murderer

Adventure Time

 

BEST RADIO SHOW

Fresh Blood With Alex Baker – Kerrang! Radio

MOJO Rocks with Phil Alexander – Planet Rock

Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P Carter

Beats 1 with Zane Lowe

Nights With Alice Cooper – Planet Rock

 

BEST VIDEO GAME

Far Cry Primal

Fallout 4

Rise Of The Tomb Raider

Guitar Hero Live

Star Wars Battlefront

 

BEST COMIC BOOK

The Wicked + The Divine

2000 AD

Saga

Nimona

Descender

 

BEST FESTIVAL

Download

Slam Dunk

Reading & Leeds

Bloodstock

The Great Escape

 

BEST COMEDIAN

Matt Berry

Amy Schumer

Josie Long

Bill Bailey

Louis CK

 

TWEETER OF THE YEAR

Jono Yates

Corey Taylor

Mark Hoppus

Becky Blomfield

Hayley Williams

About Ant May

I spend half my life at gigs or festivals and the other half writing the reviews and editing photos, and somehow find time for a full time job too. Who needs sleep - I've got coffee.