: "F*CK PRIZES, LETS RAVE":	Ron, IU
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"F*CK PRIZES, LETS RAVE" So said the legend on the T-Shirt (or, shock, horror! was that a VEST!?!) worn by one of the 'Super Extra Bonus Party' band members as they took to (and took over) the stage at the final of the Choice Music Prize this week. After being announced as the overall winner, and therefore officially the critically-acclaimed best Irish album of 2007, the lads were unquestionably, and understandably, stunned. I wasn't. I was probably one of the very few at the gig who wasn't stunned. Just to make it clear: I have nothing to do with the event, but even if I did it would be impossible to know in advance who the winners were going to be as this is only decided, behind a locked door, on the night of the event and it has nothing to do with the on-stage performance. It is, instead, a reflection of an entire album's worth of material which cannot be recreated in a two-song set. I placed a bet on Super Extra Bonus Party to win the Choice Music Prize literally the day after I heard the album. I first listened to it in the bath, believe it or not, and it immediately stood out as a potential winner (in my mind). The 'Choice' is an award for the best album and while it is of course a matter of opinion, I did think that of the ten shortlisted, it was perhaps the most unusual. Others might think differently, but the 'judges decision is final'. Here's what I said in my regular reminders to IrishUnsigned readers to avail of the free bet that Paddy Power was offering: "My tenner is on Super Extra Bonus Party (an outsider) and my free tweny quid bet is on Cathy Davey (the favourite)". I just checked and noticed that my bet was placed on January 19th, about 6 weeks before the event and only about five minutes after the shortlist was made public. I had the same feeling about 'Messiah J And The Expert' last year and 'Duke Special' the year before and I was wrong both times. This time must be third time lucky.... :-) So, whats the album actually like....? Many people outside the gig after the winner was announced were surprised that I actually agred with the 'Choice' judges, because, perhaps, their opinion was based on a two-song performance rather than a complete listen to the album. I will get around to writing a review of it for the main IrishUnsigned.com site in the near future, but lets put it this way: if you were to take a little bit of trance, lots of dance, rave and club music, a small amount of Bjork's instrumentalism, some New Order, a Brazillian Rap/MC and just a pinch of Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music' (Yes, really), you just might get close to understanding the nature of the beast. Better still, go along to their website and listen to or buy the stuff. It's far better to hear it for yourself than to assume I know what I'm talking about! Check out www.superextrabonusparty.com and http://www.myspace.com/superextrabonusparty Better still, you can see footage of the event on Youtube.com by searching for 'Choice Music Prize' and clicking the link that says 'this week'. The two songs that they performed were 'Everything flows' and 'Favourite things'. Good stuff. There were some other very good performances on the night, most noticeably the effortless vocals of Roisin Murphy, the quirky poppiness of Cathy Davey and Dry County's brilliant Indie/Electronica hybrid. Much of it is on Youtube so you have no excuses for an uninformed opinion. After the event every punter and their dog had their own opinion about who the winners were and should have been. Instead, I make this point: most of the ten Acts shortlisted will have gained more mainstream exposure and public awareness from their inclusion in the lineup than they would otherwise reasonably expect and so they are all winners. The mere fact that the public were discussing the relative merits of the performances of Dry County vs Delorentos, or The Flaws v David Geraghty means that the Choice Music Prize is doing what it set out to do: create an exposure opportunity for the cream of Irish talent and shine a spotlight on what it's judges consider the best of the bunch. If you don't agree, and at least you have heard the material, that's a good thing. On the other hand, if you don't agree and you haven't heard the material, then why the f*ck not? Go and listen to it all now. See the list of Acts on www.choicemusicprize.com or www.myspace.com/choicemusicprize or www.youtube.com Now, where's my old white vest? Seems like Super Extra Bonus Party might be looking to start a new trend...

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