Congratulations for Panic Room’s Yatim Halimi for being voted best bass player at the Classic Rock Society awards, and also for Riversea as Best Newcomer. Both are very well deserved.

Alison Henderson posted the full list of winners on her Facebook page. The list does seem a little less predictable that some years, although Magenta still did very well, and Mostly Autumn seem to win best band every year.

Best gig – Magenta
Best newcomer- Riversea
Best track – Lovers End Pt 3, Moon Safari
Best keyboard player – Mike Varty
Best bassist – Yatim Halimi
Best drummer – Henry Rogers
Best guitarist – Chris Fry
Best album – Beneath The Waves, Kompendium
Best male vocalist – Damian Wilson
Best female vocalist – Christina Booth
Best band – Mostly Autumn
Unsung hero – Jon Patrick
Outstanding Contribution – Andy Tillison.

I think it needs to be recognised that the CRS awards celebrate the UK grass-roots rock scene in the UK, which is why you won’t see higher-profile artists like Steve Wilson, Opeth or Rush, or many US or Euro prog bands. Yes, you could criticise the awards for parochialism at times, or the way that some artists win year after year, which is why I applaud John Jowitt’s decision to rule himself out of contention this year.

Still, I’ll take this over The Brits any year.