To be honest, the Brit Awards looked a bit rubbish this year. Faced with choosing between one dull commercial experiment after another in every category, Colin and Matt off of The Saturday Show went ahead and declared their own alternative awards, The Zings! We asked each of our presenters to curate an award and then get our listeners to vote for their favourites. Without further ado, here are the results, as chosen by you!

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Best British Breakthrough Act

Curated by Charlie Ashcroft

Runners-up: Dry The River / AlunaGeorge

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Best British Group

Curated by Gill Mills

Runners-up: Alt J / Brother

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Best British Female Solo Artist

Curated by Ruth Barnes

Runners-up: Saint Saviour / Sarah Williams White

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Best British Male Solo Artist

Curated by Chris Martin

Runners-up: Matthew Kilford / Jethro Fox

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Best British Single

Curated by Georgie Rogers

Runners-up: Bear Driver – ‘Enemy’ / Alt-J – ‘Fitzpleasure’

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Best International Artist

Curated by Greg Porter

Runners-up: Friends / The Jezabels

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Best British Producer

Curated by Mark Ryan

Runners-up: Stumbleine / D/R/U/G/S/

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Best International Breakthrough Act

Curated by Jim Gellatly

Runners-up: Bravestation / Matinee

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Best British Rock Act

Curated by Aaron Philips

Runners-up: Heroes & Outlaws / Mechanical Smile

PIAS is one of Europe’s leading independent labels, started in the early 80s amongst other indie greats like Factory and Rough Trade, and they turn thirty this week. They’ve been involved with a diverse range of artists over the years, with releases from Soulwax, Sigur Rós and Mogwai in their back catalogue.

To celebrate their 30th year, they’re putting on two special PIAS Nites gigs on the 16th and 17th of February at the Tours and Taxi’s venue in Brussels. Included in the line up are Tom Smith, Agnes Obel, Laurent Garnier and amazing favourites First Aid Kit and M83.

And as a birthday calls for a gift we’ll be replaying our hour long PIAS UK special tonight, covering the disaster during the London riots, where their major warehouse (owned by Sony), burnt down and all of their stock destroyed. Tune in at 8 on Amazing Radio to discover more.

From everyone at amazing, happy birthday PIAS! We look forward to more years of support for great new music.

Oxford’s Jonquil have returned, minus the three members that now constitute Trophy Wife, but with Chad Valley’s Hugo Manuel still handling vocal duties. Hugo’s sun-kissed vibes that drenched his Chad Valley recordings are evident along with additional Balearic percussion. It’s all still very ‘Oxford’ though, channeling Foals-esque math-guitars.

We loved it so much we’ve put ‘It’s My Part‘ on the Amazing Radio A-list and now here’s the video! It features animal heads and pentagram pizzas (not as weird as it sounds). Check it out below.

Outfit are back! You might have noticed that we fell slightly in love with them last year, so much so that we made them one of our Twelvex12 artists.

They return with news of an EP and this devilishly dark but smooth jam, Dashing in Passing. There’s always been an atmospheric undertone to Outfit; in the swirling ambient noises of Two Islands or creepy lyrical content of Every Night I Dress Up As You but this new track takes it up notch. Deep, brooding synths lie ominously underneath chiming guitars and that languid vocal gives the whole thing a sort of barren, distopian vibe.

The EP is due in April on Sounds of Sweet Nothing (home to Gross Magic and Unknown Mortal Orchestra) and you can buy Dashing in Passing from their Bandcamp page now. Outfit head out on tour this weekend, dates below!

Sat 11 Feb 2012 Brighton Green Door Store – tickets
Sun 12 Feb Oxford Bullingdon Arms – tickets
Mon 13 Feb Bristol Cooler – tickets
Wed 15 Feb Leeds Cockpit 3 – tickets
Thu 16 Feb Glasgow Captain’s Rest – tickets
Fri 17 Feb Manchester Deaf Institute, supporting Real Estate
Sat 18 Feb Birmingham Rainbow – tickets
Wed 22nd Feb Double Denim/Hush @ Royal Albert Hall with Maria Minerva, NZCA/LINES and Juk Juk – get tickets
Sat 2nd June Field Day
Fri 31st – Sun 2nd Sept End of the Road

The Welsh Music Prize (Gwobr Gerddoriaeth Gymreig) was set up last year by SWN Festival music gurus Huw Stephens and John Rostron.  As well as crowning an album of the year, it shines a light on the finest releases from Welsh artists in the previous 12 months.

With the Prize now entering its second year, we’re pleased to announced that Amazing Radio’s Bethan Elfyn has once again been chosen as a member of the judging panel for 2012. The news comes hot on the heels of her Welsh music special which aired last week, which you can still listen to via Amazing Rewind.

Far from concentrating solely on her native Wales though, Bethan is back on Amazing Radio tonight with a 2-hour special dedicated to Scandinavian music. She’ll be joined in the studio by regular It’s Amazing guest and Ja Ja Ja Nordic editor Rich Thane, who you may also know as the man behind The Line Of Best Fit.

Join them from 7pm tonight or catch the repeat on Friday 10th February from 1pm.

You can keep up to date with the latest goings on from The Bethan Elfyn Show here.

One of our Twelvex12 artists, Friends have announced a (proper) UK tour! Sure, they announced a 3-date UK tour not long ago, but 3 dates doesn’t really count now, does it? With those three February dates now completely sold out, a 9-date tour has been revealed for May, spanning the UK and taking in The Great Escape festival. Tickets go on sale Friday from here.

The announcement comes on the day of release for single, ‘Friend Crush,’ a shimmering R&B-infused track that has had us obsessed since the first note. Out now on Lucky Number.

February
06 – Deaf Institute, Manchester (sold out)
07 – The Lexington, London (sold out)
08 – XOYO, London (sold out)

May
05 – Live at Leeds, Leeds
06 – Digital, Newcastle
07 – King Tut’s, Glasgow
08 – Academy 3, Manchester
09 – Scala, London
10 – The Great Escape, Brighton
11 – The Great Escape, Brighton
12 – Academy 2, Birmingham
14 – Fleece, Bristol