The Ticket Awards results: your favourite music of 2014

For your favourite music, it came down to a split decision between the blues and traditional

As the votes were counted, it quickly became clear that two acts in particular – and two Irish acts at that – were running away with the race. We speak of The Gloaming and Hozier.

Fri Dec 19 2014 - 06:00

BEST BAND

1

The Gloaming

2

Popular Problems, Leonard Cohen

BEST JAZZ ALBUM

Under the Moon, Blue Eyed Hawk

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas, Steven Isserlis/ Robert Levin

BEST VIDEO

David Bowie, Sue (Or In a Season Of Crime)

MOMENT OF THE YEAR

Love/Hate season five

We asked and you delivered. The Ticket’s readers got stuck into the voting business and you can see the results of those considerations left, right and centre. And now for some analysis . . .

As the votes were counted, it quickly became clear that two acts in particular – and two Irish acts at that – were running away with the race. We speak of The Gloaming and Hozier. Between the pair of them, they annexed the Best Band, Best Album, Best Solo Act, Best Irish Act and Best Traditional Album categories and sucked up around 70 per cent of the total votes cast.

In the case of The Gloaming, such a powerhouse performance is something to behold. It’s rare for a band from a trad background to dominate a poll of this nature. But then again, it’s rare to come across a band with as sublime an album and as life-affirming a live show as The Gloaming produced in 2014, so it’s fantastic to see an acknowledgement of this.

They romped home in the Best Band category, were out of sight for Best Trad Album and would have taken the Best Irish Act if we’d combined the votes for the band and its fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. In the latter category, Ó Raghallaigh – who released two fine albums in 2014 – came in a highly impressive third, seeing off the likes of Le Galaxie, James Vincent McMorrow and Sinead O’Connor.

The Wicklow way

The only competition The Gloaming faced in the polls came in the form of the lanky lad from Wicklow. Hozier had a bumper year home and abroad, between festival grandstanding, high- profile US TV appearances, a chart-topping album release, a fashion show walk-on and a Grammy nomination for Take Me To Church to wrap it all up.

Hozier topped the Best Album, Best Irish Act and Best Solo Act categories and only faced competition from those previously mentioned traddies. The Ticket readers have decided that they’re members of the Hozier fan club. World domination will be easy after this.

There was also an Irish winner for Best Track of 2014 with James Vincent McMorrow taking the honours for Red Dust. He won by a head from Future Islands’ Seasons (Waiting On You) and a leg from Sia’s

Chandelier. McMorrow’s album also polled well, though it lost out on the third spot in the end to St Vincent.

It’s interesting to note how some acts who didn’t get much love from the critics did very well when the readers went to vote. Both Delorentos and The Lost Brothers pulled in a good deal of votes from readers in various categories, especially Best Band, Best Irish Act and Best Album.

There was also section wins for Leonard Cohen (Popular Problems was your choice for Best Roots’ album), Blue Eyed Hawk (the choice of jazz fans for Under the Moon), Steven Isserlis and Robert Levin (best classical album for their recording of Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas) and David Bowie’s Sue (Or In a Season Of Crime) for Video of the Year.

Moments to savour

As you’d expect, there was a broad range of answers when it came to the readers’ moment of the year. When it came to music, live shows by The Gloaming at St Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny and Portishead at the Electric Picnic garnered the most mentions overall, the rest of the entries reflected the broadest possible sweep of what made you smile, punch the air and go “yes” in 2014. Leaving aside the mentions of engagements, weddings, births and protest marches, here’s a selection of your highlights from the past 12 months.

Ceiliúradh at London’s Royal Albert Hall

Ed Sheeran on the Toy Show

Bob Dylan singing Long & Wasted Years at Dublin’s O2

Flying Lotus at Forbidden Fruit

Love/Hate (including Nidge’s runners)

James Vincent McMorrow at Electric Picnic

Annie Mac at Electric Picnic; John Grant

“Apple providing me with a wonderful free U2 album”

“U2 realising that people do not want their rubbish even if it’s free”

Adebisi Shank’s farewell; Damien Rice’s comeback;

The National at Dublin’s Iveagh Garden

Young Fathers at Dublin’s IMMA