Wakeman, Uriah Heep, Camel Among Prog Awards Victors

Peter Gabriel and Rick Wakeman were among the big winners at last night’s Progressive Music Awards, on an evening that also included victories for such respected prog influences as Camel and Uriah Heep.

The great and good of prog gathered for the annual shindig at the Underglobe, situated beneath Shakespeare’s historic Globe Theatre. Hosted again by self-declared prog fan, broadcaster Gavin Esler, the evening was capped by the presentation of the Prog God award, by comedian Bill Bailey, to Gabriel.

Wakeman won the Live Event award for his 40th anniversary ‘Journey To The Centre of the Earth’ extravaganza. Camel were one of the other nominees in that category for their reunion tour of their classic album ‘The Snow Goose,’ but while they didn’t win that trophy, the band’s Andy Latimer won a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other “achievement” winners included Curved Air frontwoman Sonja Kristina, who took the Guiding Light trophy, and Uriah Heep, who were honoured with the Outer Limits award. Robert John Godfrey, founder of British prog and symphonic rock band The Enid, won the Visionary title.

Another veteran of experimental rock, Fish, was triumphant in the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award (named after the late designer so closely associated with Pink Floyd’s artwork) for his album ‘A Feast Of Consequences,’ designed by Mark Wilkinson.

Quadruple nominees Transatlantic, who performed the opening song of the night, were Album of the Year winners for their ‘Kaleidoscope’ release, while Dream Theater, also nominated four times, were Band of the Year.

The award night, presented by Orange Amplification in association with Currencies.co.uk, welcomed guests including Fish, author Ian Rankin, snooker champion and Prog Magazine columnist Steve Davis, and a wide variety of prog bands old and new, from Moon Safari to The Enid and many more.