REVIEW: The MOBO Awards
- Posted on September 20, 2007 12:20 PM
- 2 comments
The MOBO Awards
O2 Centre - September 19th 2007
Review by Katie Spain
Last night was a night of awards... in one corner of the city; the O2 Arena was swamped by MOBO Awards goers. Meanwhile, a mix of Indie, Pop and Chris Moyles' double chin swamped Earls Court for the Vodafone Live Music Awards. Which was better? That depends on your taste in music. I preferred the mixed bag of performances at the Vodafone bash but ended up amongst the crowd at the MOBOs. Here's the verdict on one of the most ill fated Award Ceremonies out there.
The lead up to the MOBOs is never a smooth affair. This year, headliner 50 Cent pulled out after losing a chart battle with Kanye West. A good thing too really; Mr West stole the award for 'Best Hip Hop' act from right under Fiddy's turned up nose. A coincidence? You decide.
From the moment we approached the towering white armadillo of a venue we knew we were in for a crowd-watching treat. The music may be of black origin but the crowd was a motley crew. Fashion choices ranged from barely there minis to bare midriffs, flowing gowns and jeans hanging precariously below bum cracks. In some corners there was more flesh on show than at your average nudist's beach, in others people were dressed for bed. But it's about the music right?
Wrong. Before the tunes could happen, the punters had to get in the building. I passed through Heathrow Airport this week and the security searches there did nothing to rival the MOBOs set up. We passed through a metal detector, a bag X-Ray machine, and were accosted by a sniffer dog. We were felt up (and down) by a security guard and went through the whole process again five minutes later. Luckily they hired overwhelmingly pleasant security guards. The night went without a single shooting so they obviously did something right.
Searches aside, the vibe was happy. Young girls bustled about, gyrating to the imaginary tunes in their head. Our presenters for the night were a delightfully lecherous Shaggy (who almost didn't make it in to the country due to a VISA debacle) and the leggy Jamelia. They did okay... better than Moyles.
Awards-wise, if you believe the broadsheets, the night belonged to little miss Amy Winehouse. Drug, booze and flesh problems aside, the woman can sing and awards for Best UK Female and Best Live Female gave a nod to the talent within. She also won Best Female at the Vodafone Live Music Awards. A triple Winehouse-whammy then. Sort yourself out love and your past (and future) could go down in history - for the right reasons.
Amy's acceptance speech was blunt. A quick "Thanks" and she's gone. Her performance was longer... she may have stumbled a little during 'Me and Mr Jones' and 'Tears Dry On Their Own' but her lungs packed a punch and had the crowd entranced nevertheless. Amy later copped it in the tabloids for holding the mic stand and swaying on stage. See the woman in concert you vultures - vodka or no vodka, that's the norm.
Craig David and Kano performed together in what was a boring lead up to a toilet break and a sexy looking Mutya Buena did little more for my musical taste buds. In the VIP area, Big Brother contestants Charlie, Aisleyne and the twins played air kiss hockey between speeches.
The UK fort was held by Dizzee Rascal who won the Best UK Male award while Best Newcomers went to London-based trio N-Dubz. Theirs was an animated acceptance speech - nothing surprising from the new kidz on the block (apologies for the 'z' but we want to be down with the kids right?).
Quentin Tarantino added a touch of Hollywood to proceedings - a good thing to, most of his fellow countrymen didn't bother showing up. Kanye West, shame on you boy. If Tarantino ever decides to give up film making he should consider presenting. Even Ne-Yo was impressed by gangster flock king - thanking him in his second acceptance speech. Yep, the tweed-clad main man won Best Song (Because of You) and the R&B award.
A special mention must go to African Act 2face Idibia (Nigeria) who dropped their award on stage and Soweto Kinch who picked up the Jazz Award. Moving because, number one - the man deserves it so much and two, because the Jazz category was so outrageously scrapped last year. From protesting to accepting the award with a jazz rendition; it was by far the best acceptance speech of the night... sometimes music does say it all.
I’d never heard of Robin Thicke but I’ve obviously had my head in the Indie sweat bucket because the crowd went mental when the singer took to the stage. He wasn’t bad either. NeYo rounded off the proceedings with an outstanding performance - complete with dancers in cat suits.
The ceremony itself was short and sweet... and a good thing too. After the epic Urban Music Awards fiasco, we were glad to make an early exit. As people champed at the after party bit, hems were hitched to high heaven. If the masses didn't get their party extras past the security guards on the way in, no doubt they were going to make up for it in venues London-wide. Well, not Amy Winehouse of course - I'm sure she went straight home to warm milk and crackers.
Keep your eyes on the tabloids - reports of drunken after party snogs and dress malfunctions will be out in force.
If you missed the awards, you can see them tonight at 11.35pm on BBC One.
In the meantime, here is a list of the winners:
2007 Mobo Awards
Best UK Female: Amy Winehouse
Best UK Male: Dizzee Rascal
International Act: Rihanna
Song Neyo: Because of You
R&B: Ne-Yo
Reggae: Sean Kingston
Jazz: Soweto Kinch
Video Kanye West: Stronger
DJ: Tim Westwood
African Act: 2face Idibia (Nigeria)
Vodafone Live Music Awards
Live Female: Amy Winehouse
Live Male: Mika
Best Live Act: Arctic Monkeys
Live Impact 2007: Gossip
Best Show Production: Kylie
Best Live Return: The Police
Live Music DVD Oasis: Morning Glory – An Album Under Review
Live Music Venue: Wembley Stadium
XFM Live Breakthrough Act: Klaxons
Channel 4 Festival of the Year: Glastonbury
Kerrang! Live Unsigned Act: The Flaming Monkeys
Best International Live Act: The Killers
Sony Ericsson Tour of the Year: Muse
Best Roadie: Geoff Buckley (for James)
Freddie Mercury Lifetime Achievement Award in Live Music: Iggy Pop
Tags
Comments (2)
jeffb
Did anyone see Amy Winehouse's performance from last night? She's totally out of it! Check it out:
http://www.pollsb.com/polls/poll/2382/is-amy-winehouse-doing-the-britney
Posted on September 20, 2007 5:12 PM
Saraih
O my Goodness...i was at the Mobo awards......the night did not belong to Amy Winehouse..her performannce was decent it wasnt that great ....the NIGHT BELONGED 2 T-PAIN ...THE CROWD WENT MENTAL 4 HIM DA MOST ..ROBIN THICKE WAS REALLY GOOD ..BUT AMY WINEHOUSE WASNT ALL THAT .....and this is true stories....reporter from Live Magazine ( 4 da youths)
Posted on September 24, 2007 9:36 PM
Post a comment
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.seatwaveblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1311
