Although 2016 will largely be remembered as a year in which so many weird, crazy and tragic things happened that it’s hard to make sense of it all, there was respite from the madness with the music itself. For every action, there is a reaction: against the backdrop of bad came the flow of good. And this was a seriously good year for progressive music.
This year, one band have walked away with almost all the categories in a way that we haven’t seen since Prog first started back in 2009. In a year with great releases from the likes of Opeth, Radiohead, Big Big Train, Haken, Van der Graaf Generator, iamthemorning, Syd Arthur, Anderson/Stolt and more, that’s no mean feat.
But we’re equally seeing a great influx of younger artists creeping in to the mix. Young, progressive musicians from around the world sitting alongside long-standing virtuosos in individual instrument categories, or neck and neck in others. We hope you agree with us when we say that it makes for exciting times in the prog world.
So a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. And massive congratulations to the winners and indeed everyone who appears in each category. You helped lend a worth to 2016 that otherwise might have been hard to find. Prog on…
BAND OF THE YEAR
1. MARILLION
2. BIG BIG TRAIN
3. OPETH
4. iamthemorning
5. HAKEN
6. NEAL MORSE BAND
7. FROST
8. ANDERSON RABIN WAKEMAN
9. KING CRIMSON
10. DREAM THEATER
They say: “We heard about this just before Christmas. What a present! The response to F E A R by fans and critics has been overwhelming and has likely played a part in this unanimous response from the readers. We’re not a band who have been inundated with awards over the years, so our Prog awards have always meant a great deal to us. This is above and beyond any expectations by even the most egoistic rock stars. Are you sure it’s kosher? Thank you so much to everyone who voted and to Prog for their support.”
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
1. FEAR - MARILLION
2. BIG BIG TRAIN Folklore
3. OPETH Sorceress
4. iamthemorning Lighthouse
5. ANDERSON/STOLT Invention Of Knowledge
6. NEAL MORSE BAND The Similitude Of A Dream
7. HAKEN Affinity
8. DREAM THEATER The Astonishing
9. THE PINEAPPLE THIEF Your Wilderness
10. THE DEAR HUNTER Act V: Hymns With The Devil In Confessional
BASSIST
1. PETE TREWAVAS - MARILLION
2. NICK BEGGS
3. GREG SPAWTON Big Big Train
4. GEDDY LEE Rush
5. TONY LEVIN King Crimson
6. JONAS REINGOLD Karmakanic
7. JOHN MYUNG Dream Theater
8. MARIUSZ DUDA Riverside
9. MARTIN MENDEZ Opeth
10. JON POOLE Lifesigns
MALE VOCALIST
1. STEVE HOGARTH
2. DAVID LONGDON Big Big Train
3. JON ANDERSON
4. MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT Opeth
5. ROSS JENNINGS Haken
6. JAMES LABRIE Dream Theater
7. CASEY CRESCENZO The Dear Hunter
8. DAMIAN WILSON Headspace/Threshold
9. DEVIN TOWNSEND
10. MARIUSZ DUDA Riverside
KEYBOARDIST
1. MARK KELLY - MARILLION
2. GLEB KOLYADIN iamthemorning
3. RICK WAKEMAN
4. JORDAN RUDESS Dream Theater
5. JEM GODFREY Frost
6. DANNY MANNERS Big Big Train
7. DIEGO TEJEIDA Haken
8. ADAM HOLZMAN Steven Wilson Band
9. ROB REED Magenta
10. NEAL MORSE Neal Morse Band
DRUMMER
1. IAN MOSLEY MARILLION
2. MIKE PORTNOY
3. NICK D’VIRGILIO Big Big Train
4. GAVIN HARRISON King Crimson
5. CRAIG BLUNDELL Steven Wilson Band
6. MARCO MINNEMANN The Aristocrats
7. MARTIN AXENROT Opeth
8. RAYMOND HEARNE Haken
9. MIKE MANGINI Dream Theater
10. HENRY ROGERS Touchstone
GUITARIST
1. STEVE ROTHERY - MARILLION
2. JOHN PETRUCCI Dream Theater
3. STEVE HACKETT
4. GUTHRIE GOVAN The Aristocrats
5. ROINE STOLT The Flower Kings
6. RICHARD HENSHALL Haken
7. LUKE MACHIN Maschine
8. DAVE GREGORY Big Big Train
9. DAVE KILMINSTER Steven Wilson Band
10. TOSIN ABASI Animals As Leaders
EVENT
1. MARILLION - FEAR TOUR
2. STEVEN WILSON US TOUR
3. RAMBLIN’ MAN FAIR
4. STONE FREE FESTIVAL
5. BIG BIG TRAIN @ REAL WORLD
6. DREAM THEATER – THE ASTONISHING LIVE
7. DAVID GILMOUR @ ROYAL ALBERT HALL
8. KING CRIMSON @ AYLESBURY
9. BE PROG! MY FRIEND
10. ROSFEST
REISSUE OF THE YEAR
1. YES - TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS
2. PINK FLOYD The Early Years
3. PAIN OF SALVATION Remedy Lane
4. KING CRIMSON – On (And Off) The Road
5. RUSH 2112
6. XTC Skylarking
7. ALAN PARSONS PROJECT Tales Of Mystery And Imagination
8. UK Ultimate Collectors’ Edition
9. ELP Vinyl Reissues
10. JETHRO TULL Aqualung
FEMALE VOCALIST
1. MARJANA SEMKINA IAMTHEMORNING
2. LEE DOUGLAS Anathema
3. ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN
4. KATE BUSH
5. THE ANCHORESS
6. NINET TAYEB
7. CHRISTINA BOOTH Magenta
8. COURTNEY SWAIN Bent Knee
9. HEATHER FINDLAY
10. BELINDA KORDIC Se Delan
They say: “I tried very hard to come up with something witty, humorous and nice, but it’s very complicated so I’ll just say this: I voted for Kate Bush! On a serious note, I am humbled beyond words and so thankful to all of you who support iamthemorning. Kudos to Kscope and Glassville Music for pushing us forward by giving us deadlines (which we always break).” - Marjana Semkina
DISAPPOINTMENT
1. DEATHS OF KEITH EMERSON & GREG LAKE
2. DEATH OF DAVID BOWIE
3. DREAM THEATER – THE ASTONISHING
4. DEATH OF PIOTR GRUDZINSKI
5. BREXIT
6. NO PROG MAGAZINE RADIO SHOW
7. MESSENGER SPLIT UP
8. DONALD TRUMP
9. RUSH NO LONGER BEING A TOURING BAND
10. BEARDFLISH SPLIT UP
MULTIMEDIA
1. BIG BIG TRAIN - STONE & STEEL
2. KING CRIMSON Radical Action
3. RUSH Time Stand Still
4. JETHRO TULL Stand Up
5. NEAL MORSE BAND Alive Again
6. MARILLION Unconventional
7. OPETH Book Of Opeth
8. AYREON The Theatre Equation
9. STEVE HACKETT The Total Experience
10. PHIL COLLINS Not Dead Yet
They say: “We are delighted to have won the Multi-media category for our Blu-ray Stone & Steel and we would like to thank all those who voted for us. Looking back, it was a huge undertaking and it chronicles our first steps to becoming a live band. When we first began making it at Real World during the summer of 2014, we didn’t have a clue how successful it would be. Thankfully it all turned out well, as the live performances from our shows at King’s Place in 2015 demonstrate.” - David Longdon
VENUE
1. ROYAL ALBERT HALL
2. AYLESBURY WATERSIDE THEATRE
3. TRADING BOUNDARIES
4. BOERDERIJ
5. ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
6. LEAMINGTON ASSEMBLY ROOMS
7. THE ROBIN 2
8. CADOGAN HALL
9. BEACON THEATER, NY
10. O2, LONDON
They say: “We’re delighted to win Prog magazine’s venue of the year for the second successive time. The Hall is immensely proud to have such a varied and diverse programme – and bringing the world’s greatest rock artists here will always be a huge part of that. It’s great to see all the hard work that goes into putting on shows recognised with an award, but particularly one like this, voted for by music fans. One of the undoubted highlights of 2016 was Dave Gilmour’s stunning run of shows at the Hall, and next year looks like it will be just as exciting, with the likes of Eric Clapton, Roger Hodgson and Joe Bonamassa headlining this incredible place.” - Lucy Noble, Director of Events
TIP FOR 2017
1. GHOST COMMUNITY
2. I AM THE MANIC WHALE
3. KYLVER
4. THANK YOU SCIENTIST
5. SOUTHERN EMPIRE
6. CAIRO
7. KYROS
8. THIS WINTER MACHINE
9. OCEANS OF SLUMBER
10. KIAMA
They say: “Wow! What an amazing way to end a fantastic year and what an awesome way to start a whole new adventure in 2017. Knowing that you lovely lot believe in what we are doing really drives us on. Thank you so much to the wonderful readers of the one and only Prog magazine. Passengers get on board. It’s going to be a great ride, thanks to you.” - Matt Cohen
MAN OF THE YEAR
1. STEVE HOGARTH
2. STEVEN WILSON
3. JON ANDERSON
4. STEVE ROTHERY Marillion
5. NEAL MORSE
6. GREG SPAWTON Big Big Train
7. MIKE PORTNOY
8. MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT Opeth
9. JOHN YOUNG Lifesigns
10. NICK BEGGS
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
1. MARJANA SEMKINA IAMTHEMORNING
2. KATE BUSH
3. ANNEKE VAN
4. LUCY JORDACHE Marillion Manager
5. CHRISTINA BOOTH Magenta
6. THE ANCHORESS
7. NELLIE PITTS Proprietor Of The Merch Desk
8. HEATHER FINDLAY
9. FLOOR JANSEN Nightwish
10. SUSIE BOGDANOVIC Glass Hammer
They say: “I will say something serious now, because I want to use this opportunity to tell people how important it is for me that our album Lighthouse was so beautifully accepted by the prog community. Considering that this album is dedicated to mental illness and (hopefully) sends a message to everyone out there who needs help, it is a truly touching thing that i now get this honourable position in your top of the year.
PS Again, I voted for Kate Bush…” - Marjana Semkina
"You're All F**ked!" The story behind Marillion's 18th album F.E.A.R.
