BRITAIN:ARCTIC MONKEYS and Manic Street Preachers were lauded at the Shockwaves NME Awards but it was Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty who emerged as the unlikely hero, chosen by NME readers as their Hero of the Year.
Arctic Monkeys continued their winning streak with a trio of awards - Best British Band, Best Track for Fluorescent Adolescent and Best Video for Teddy Picker.
It follows their double win at last week's Brits, where they memorably turned up dressed as country gents and proceeded to enjoy the free bar.
This time they wore normal clothes and frontman Alex Turner said: "Tonight we're going to attempt to behave like the gentlemen that we were dressed as last week." The awards were held at the IndigO2 venue inside London's O2 Arena.
Brits winner Kate Nash beat Amy Winehouse to the Best Solo Artist award.
And there was further bad news for Winehouse - in the same week that she reportedly met bosses about launching her own clothes line, the singer took NME's Worst Dressed title.
Manic Street Preachers were honoured with the Godlike Genius award, which was presented by fellow Welshman, boxer Joe Calzaghe. The Welsh band's career has spanned more than 25 years and survived the loss of guitarist Richey Edwards, who disappeared in 1995.
NME editor Conor McNicholas said: "They are a band scarred by a terrible loss, but one who used the energy of that loss to make their most generated album. If ever there were a band that meant something, a band that were '4 real', it is this band." The Manics closed the show with hits including Design For Life.