Gomez Speak About Red Stripe Music Award Final

There’s just a week to go until the Red Stripe Music Award 2009 Final at London’s HMV Forum. The four finalists taking to the stage are unpigeonholable eight-piece First Degree Burns, hip-hop mentalist Gideon Conn, acoustic balladeer Ben Howard and blues twopiece Philadelphia Mainline.

This year’s special guests at the final are legendary indie kings Gomez. Ahead of the final, The-Fly.co.uk grabbed a couple of words with bassist Paul ‘Blackie’ Blackburn…

“We’re looking forward to it.” says Blackie, “It should be a very interesting and fun night. I’m sure there’ll be lot of people getting pretty drunk & really getting into the spirit of the event.

Have you had a chance to check out any of the Red Stripe Music Award Finalists?

“Yes, I’ve had a chance to check them out as we’ve been traveling along the road on this tour. There’s a lot of talent on display here. I’m not sure how the winner is decided but it’s going to be a tough competition to judge. I was most impressed by the diversity between the bands, I think once you’ve reached a certain point & you have bands with very differing styles you can’t really suggest that one is better than another. But, a winner there must be!”

“I’ve been impressed by the diversity of the bands, I think that comes from people playing what feels right to them & what they enjoy. That’s what impressed me the most seeing people do their own thing, being creative and adventurous with what they do. I think the best advice is to just stick to that ethic and believe in what you do yourself. That’s what keeps music interesting.”