Dundee band Anderson McGinty Webster Ward & Fisher celebrated another success at the weekend after scooping the Scottish Variety Awards Best New Scottish Band/Solo Act award.
The five-piece won the title despite stiff competition from Glasgow act Chvrches, Speyside’s young starlet Rachel Sermanni and classical singer Nicola Cassells.
Dave Webster and Steve Anderson from the band travelled through to Glasgow on Saturday night for the ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and were surprised but delighted to walk away with the prestigious trophy.
Dave said: “It’s great to have any kind of recognition like this for the work that you do. Just to think that someone has liked it enough to vote for us as the best new band in Scotland is amazing. Whether it’s true or not, people have done that so it’s great.
“We didn’t know we had won beforehand so it was a bit of a surprise. Award ceremonies are a bit weird everybody’s suited up and we just sat at the back and kept quiet.”
Steve said: “It’s a total honour to win something like this. Just to be connected with what’s been happening in Scottish music just now is great.
“I thought the other acts would win over us. It was a surprise but I did enjoy it.”
All money raised from the evening will go to Yorkhill Hospital, charity Debra and Capital FM’s nominated charity Help a Capital Child.
Steve added: “It’s great too that it’s for children’s charities. Dave and I both have two kids, so it’s even better to be part of something like this.”
The award comes after a superb start to the year, which included being chosen by leading brewers Tennent’s to record the soundtrack for the new Caledonia Best advert, a reworking of Dougie MacLean’s classic Caledonia.
And just to show their feet are firmly on the ground, Robbie Ward and Gavin McGinty from the band joined other local musicians in having their hair shaved off to raise money for another charity.
Robbie lost his trademark curly hair and beard, while Gavin had his legs waxed at the Shave to Save the Frogs event in Duke’s Corner in Dundee on Sunday.
The event was organised by Dundee man Barry McMahon, whose lengthy, five-year-old dreadlocks were also chopped off in aid of the amphibian creatures, which he says are some of the world’s most at-risk species.