Artist News Awards

BBC announces Sound Of 2011 long list

By | Published on Monday 6 December 2010

So I see the ‘X-Factor’ finalists’ horrendous cover version of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ is still number one in the charts. The heroes they sing of are presumably the handful of people who make it all the way through the song, what is, surely, the most offensively bad cover version since the four members of G4 each personally bent down and gave Freddie Mercury’s coffin a little spin with their horrific rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. I realise it’s all in aid of charities that support the British families who suffer most from the legacy of Tony Blair’s careless game of toy soldiers, but there must be ways of raising cash without the rest of us having to suffer so much. I mean, are no songs sacrosanct any more?

Anyway, I digress, what I really wanted to say is, forget all the shit falling out of ITV, turn your eyes to the BBC which has just published the long list for next year’s Sound Of poll, the one where they ask a bunch of music pundits – including some guy called Andy Malt from something called CMU – to tip the new bands they reckon will make a bit of a stir in the next twelve months. “New” this time being defined as any band, without reality show celebrity, yet to enter the top twenty of the singles or album charts. I’m not saying every single one of these artists is brilliant, but I have it on good authority that none of them would raid the Bowie catalogue with the single aim of turning one of his classics into a pile of tedious melodramatic shite.

Here’s the list. The final five and overall winner will be announced in early January.

James Blake
Anna Calvi
Daley
Esben & the Witch
Jessie J
Clare Maguire
Mona
The Naked & Famous
Nero
Jai Paul
The Vaccines
Warpaint
Jamie Woon
Wretch 32
Yuck

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