A fitting venue for an honour won by a masterful duo

Arts Editor

Saturday 23 June 2012

Although it is now designated "Film City" and the judges for the first annual Scottish Album of the Year Award were closeted away in offices usually occupied by independent film and television production companies, the building known to the older among us as Govan Town Hall turned out to be a fine venue for the new prize.

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Keith Bruce

The hall itself was nicely turned out and boasts no current connection with any of the crop of promoters, managers and musicians represented in the room, but holds a nice cache of rock 'n' roll memories.

My recollection was of a bill of bhangra bands assembled for Mayfest, which brought the youth of Glasgow's Asian community out in their best threads and demonstrating dance steps that put Prince to shame. And yes, that was just the guys. Most people, including the highly professional chairman of the judges and one-time contributor to The Herald, John Williamson, cited another Mayfest concert by Nanci Griffith as their definitive Govan Town Hall experience, and in fact the producer of that event was one of those present over 20 years on.To see the Scottish music industry gathered in the one place – although some branches were better represented than others – was to realise just what huge significance it has. This was a celebration of something that truly deserves the over-applied term "creative industry", and large portions of it operate without subsidy, so the role of Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government in supporting the new award seems only appropriate.I was flattered to be asked to be part of the inaugural judging panel and can testify that all the long- and short-listed albums were given thoughtful consideration by us all. Although we each had our favourites in the final 10, I don't believe I am violating the sanctity of the jury room by revealing that the winner was selected by overwhelming consensus: it was one of my top three, for example, and my guess is that was true for all 11 of us. The disc is called Everything's Getting Older, and it is by Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat. The slightly down-at-heel memory-filled hall seemed the ideal place to honour it on Tuesday evening.

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A fitting venue for an honour won by a masterful duo

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