Breakspoll 2009!
You cross your fingers, you 'rap' on wood, you wait and hope and ask, but …really, it's a bit much to expect, isn't it? To win again?
I have won Best Radio Show at the International Breakspoll Awards for the past three years.
A wonderful run, and totally unexpected each time. In fact as time has gone on, it becomes more stressful, because, let's be honest, whether you are the dazzling Kate Winslet (whom I'm delighted for this year, look how many years she went on making great films without winning anything?), or an online design award, or winning a prize for growing the biggest tomato, anyone who competes, wants to win.
So it was more with trepidation (and I'd actually mentally 'talked myself out' of winning the Breakspoll award again) that myself and the Radio 1 team, Sarah Bailey and Kemal Mermutlu rocked up at Fabric for the annual shenanigans.
We were waiting backstage for the winners of each category to come through, for us to pounce like tigers and interview them for my show and for an In New Music We Trust Special on Radio 1. At these events, if you don't grab the winner as soon as he or she comes off stage, well, once they hit the bar to celebrate, forget it! Its really difficult, well nigh impossible to find them again in the labyrinthine depths of Fabric, and to get a coherent word out of anybody!
So when Tim, from Wasted Talent said very calmly to me: "Can we borrow you to come on stage for a moment?" it only dawned on me then, that I might have won the Best Radio Show Award.
I stepped through onto the stage and the audience gave me the sort of response as though I'd just scored for England in extra time in a World Cup semi-final. They roared. WHOAAAARRRR! Like that. Fantastic. I was thrilled.
But there were more awards to be celebrated (see full results at breakspoll.com) and we had more winners to grab in their moment of glory.
Lee from The Plumps - he was surprised to win, too, having been a many times past winner at Breakspoll. He didn't think it could happen again.
Then Beardyman - a first time possessor of the rather elegant engraved Perspex slab which is the much coveted Breakspoll Award - way cooler looking than those doorstop Academy Award Oscars!
Beardyman, whom I'll meet again when we share a stage at the Jersey Festival in September, seemed pleased but bemused. "I'm a beat boxer, but I've won the award for Best MC/Vocalist", he said - then did some freestyle beatboxing for us right there and then.
I was just getting the very welcome news that Lady Waks, the extraordinary Russian dj/promoter/producer, had won the award for Best Breakthrough Producer when Tim said: "Can we borrow you for a moment, again?" Well, you never know at these events if suddenly someone has dropped out, or failed to appear, or they want you to present an award to someone else, so I had NO idea...
"For outstanding contribution to Breakbeat… the award goes to…..Annie Nightingale….." Now the roar from the crowd was even louder. I must have put the ball in the back of the net again. It must be the final this time. Silverware time… I opened my mouth to try to say thanks and something else, anything else appropriate, and all that came out was a sort of high pitched squeak. 'Eeek, urrkk' - really rubbish for a broadcaster!
So the double break, to use another sporting analogy.
Thanks to everyone who voted for me. And big up the ladies of what has in the past been rather Blokespoll than Breakspoll. Janette Slack, from Hong Kong and now making a name for herself on the British breaks scene, was the new and glamorous presenter of the show. And great news that Lady Waks, or Alexandra to give her her proper name, had won an award - shame she couldn't be at the event to collect it.
But for anyone who couldn't get to Breakspoll at Fabric, or the after party the following night at MATTER, now Breakspoll is holding it own festival in Seville, Spain May 1-3. This first ever event will feature Breakspoll (triple) winners Napt, Lady Waks, Atomic Hooligan and myself, plus wicked breaks performers such as Far Too Loud, Freestylers, Specimen A and many more.
OLA! And can't wait.
