Solo Armada Music Awards 2019 – Best Song 2019

Over the past few weeks, The Solo Armada has been nominating the artists and bands that they think have had the biggest impact on them personally in 2019 over six different categories. The next few days we’ll be announcing who has been nominated in each category leading up to Sunday 24th November where you’ll be able vote.

But why do we need a Year End Music Awards? It’s a celebration of music. The opportunity to shout about that one band, album or song you discovered this year and wanted everyone to know about. It’s also the opportunity to explore! Is there a band or artist listed below that you’ve never heard of? Then give them a listen! More importantly… this is decided by you…the people that are the most important to live music…that go to the gigs…buy the merch and keep it all alive!

Seán McGowan – Money

Not only was Seán McGowan nominated in the same category last year and won for his song ‘Springhill’, he was also voted Breakthrough Act 2018. The fact that he has been nominated in the same category again is a sign this guy is here to stay…and he’s actually really good! Where ‘Springhill’ was a very personal and emotional song, ‘Money’ demonstrates the cheekier side of Seán’s writing whilst having that personal experience and connection that pretty much all of his songs have. Lets face it, anyone that can get a lyric about affording a chicken coronation sandwich into a song and make it work is on to something. So why has it been nominated for Best Song 2019? Besides a chorus that will have everyone singing along when played live (and yes, in the car at the top of your voice) the lyrics are relatable to almost everyone. From being able to afford a sandwich to the monumental task of saving for a house, ‘Money’ is a refection of peoples daily lives and the society we live in today. Whilst it may not be personally applicable to everyone, it’s certainly a snap shot of the times we live in. However…done with that hint of cheekiness Seán McGowan has become known for.

You can catch Sean McGowan on his latest tour. Tickets HERE

(Photography by Andy Von Pip)

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Kitty Sucker

A song about love and passion that opens with the kind of swagger only Carter can pull off, ‘Kitty Sucker’ has quickly become a fan favourite. It’s big, brash and has enough bounce in the chorus to keep even the most excitable of people happy. What makes it stand out, though, is that touch of sleaze. Lyrics like ‘fast fuckers, slow lovers, we fit together like no other’ don’t sound like they should sit right in a song that you can imagine levelling stadiums, and yet they do, Frank’s delivery pulling them off. Throw in a big old dollop of groove, and it is easy to see why this one makes the list.

Tickets to see Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes can be found HERE

 Frank Turner – The Lioness

Whatever your thoughts about the album ‘No Man’s Land’, ‘The Lioness’ has become an instant favourite amongst fans and is definately a stand out track on the album. The chorus is a fist to the air crowd stomping pleaser that Frank is well known for. Even if you haven’t heard it live there’s no denying the energy it creates. Focusing on Huda Sha’arawi, a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader it would be easy to just focus on the music and jump around a lot, but Frank manages to tell the tale (in a simplified way…there’s only so much you can get into a song) of what Huda managed to achieve, “Look on her works, ye mighty men. She opened up the harem, they can’t close it up again. She stepped off a ledge and let herself fall free.
She stepped off the train and into history.” 

Tickets to see Frank play on his latest tour can be found HERE