Industry news & advice blog

The GIT (GetIntoThis) Award is Merseyside’s own music award, recognising and showcasing the best talent of the year from Liverpool and surrounding areas. Often dubbed the ‘Scouse Mercury Prize’ it is one of the North West’s biggest musical events of the year.

The 12 shortlisted artists were announced last week ahead of the ceremony which will take place on 14th May. With a mixture of more established acts such as Bill Ryder-Jones, Stealing Sheep and Hooton Tennis Club and emerging acts making up the shortlist, we’ve focused on chatting to a couple of under the radar acts, L U M E N and RongoRongo to discover what the GIT Award nomination means to them and what winning would do for their musical endeavours. 

RongoRongo are an indie outfit who have been together for roughly 2 years now with the members falling into place as time ticked on. Michael, co- founding member of the band, states that being nominated alongside the likes of Stealing Sheep, Mugstar and Bill Ryder-Jones is a “shot in the arm.” There’s no green faces when it comes to supporting fellow Merseyside bands. “We played early gigs with Hooton Tennis Club so it was interesting to see their rise with Heavenly Recordings.” 

As a regular attendee at the GIT Award, Michael explains how it now feels to be in the running for the award: “I was usually there watching, it was a pure spectator sport. I have been a fan of several bands that have received the nod over time and now it looks as though we’re involved. It’s a strange feeling for sure.”

Whilst Michael feels there’s strong competition for the award and is modest about their chances, if RongoRongo were to win the £1,000 prize money it would be used towards music equipment for the studio.

L U M E N is the brain child of 17 year old Liam Brown. Liam differs from the ordinary computer game playing stereotype of a teenage lad; instead creating 80s tinged indie pop demos from his very own bedroom. So far his music has caught the attention of the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and he has played support slots with Frankie & The Heartstrings, plus fellow nominees Clean Cut Kid. It’s certain Liam has a bright future ahead of him.

“It feels extremely strange but on the other hand very flattering; to get some recognition so early on and to be thought of so highly is a bit weird to wrap my head around.”  Having previously dreamt and hoped of one day being nominated for the GIT Award and wondered what exactly the night would involve, Liam says “…it’s actually happening this year which feels odd. The awards have always had amazing acts nominated and for me to be one of them is hard to take in.”

A proud member of the Merseyside music scene, he says: “I feel lucky to be in an area where there is literally music around every corner”, although Liam tries to stay away from the ‘Mersey-Sound’ and create his own unique style.

Liam thinks his chances of winning are very slim: “To be nominated is an achievement in itself, but if there was a dystopian future where by some godlike miracle I won, then I’d be very happy indeed.” The prize money would be spent on new music gear to enable Liam to create more elaborate bedroom demos.

The GIT Award wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for Peter Guy, music journalist and the driving force behind the Getintothis music blog set up in 2007. Pete tells us the notion behind the GIT Award: “I had seen how much the city was being rejuvenated in the arts and there was a vast swell of boss artists and bands making things happen in the city, yet few people outside Liverpool were actually writing or documenting what was happening- So I decided to get off my arse and make something which would almost force people to sit up.” 

Whilst Pete isn’t a fan of award shows in general, he tries to keep The GIT Award true to its purpose; not being a huge cash prize, sponsored corporate affair. Starting from humble beginnings, Pete is still astounded at where the awards are today: “…a daft idea, hence the name which grew to having the likes of The Guardian, Vice magazine and BBC 6 Music on the panel. It’s quite ridiculous how it’s grown from an idea in a coffee shop to Yoko Ono asking the winner to support her at the Southbank Centre in London.”

“I made the Award because I want all the artists involved and more importantly, Liverpool and the surrounding regions, to be firmly on the radar of everyone in music that matters - if the names of these artists and any others in the city are on the lips and in the ears of those who make decisions then we're doing what I set out to do.”

2015 was the lucky year for LIPA band ‘All We Are’ who describe themselves as “The Bee Gees on Diazepam” as not only did they release their debut album, they were also crowned winners of last years’ GIT Award. Rich from All We Are explains what winning meant to them: “Get Into This has always been at the forefront of the Liverpool music scene. It's always championing up and coming and alternative acts, so to get nominated for and then win an award in the year we released our first record meant a huge amount to us. The panel discussions are legendary and putting AWA in the mix of all the music Liverpool has to offer was really exciting. We've always been proud to call ourselves a Liverpool band and be a part of the community and the GIT is a huge part of that.” 

Our very own Editor, Louise Dodgson, is part of the GIT Award judging panel, along with the likes of Bella Union, 4AD, Heavenly Recordings, BBC DJs and many more. Check out the full list of nominees here. We wish them all the best of luck and look forward to catching them all at the ceremony on 14th May.