The Boisdale Music Awards 2023

Last night at Boisdale Canary Wharf they hosted the 11th annual Boisdale Music Awards, a celebration of some of the greatest names in the worlds of soul, jazz, blues, rock, reggae and pop. Now firmly established as one of the most prestigious events in the music industry calendar, the Boisdale Music Awards was once again hosted by Boisdale’s Patron of Music, Jools Holland, alongside musician and broadcaster, YolanDa Brown.

With each winner performing on stage after receiving their Boisdale Music Award, an audience of more than 200 musicians and guests were treated to an astonishing array of unique, unforgettable performances.

From Kathy Sledge’s spontaneous, floor-filling rendition of Sister Sledge’s We Are Family through to a surprise finale which featured Jools Holland and his drum-tight band joining forces with soul superstar Gregory Porter for a deep dive into Muddy Waters’ ageless Hoochie Coochie Man, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air that has now become synonymous with the Boisdale Music Awards.

Rapper and talk show host Big Narstie launched the evening in his irrepressible style when he presented Courtney Courtney with her Rising Star Award, whilst Mud Morganfield held the audience in the palm of his hand with a truly mesmerising performance of his father Muddy Waters’ iconic Mannish Boy. Alabama 3 unleashed an incendiary take of Woke Up This Morning (the Sopranos theme tune) that got everybody dancing, and newcomer Polly Gibbons delivered a sultry rendition of Bessie Smith’s timeless Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl that belied her age.

As the evening drew to a close, soul Queen PP Arnold sent shivers down everyone’s spines with a heartbreakingly beautiful show-stopping take on her 1967 signature song, The First Cut Is The Deepest, Kid Creole and the Coconuts got everybody singing along to Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy, whilst legendary funkateers the Brand New Heavies and Shalamar brought the 2023 Boisdale Music Awards to a fitting climax and helped to make it another brilliant Night To Remember.

BOISDALE MUSIC AWARDS 2023 WINNERS

Boisdale Music Awards Rising Star Artist of The Year: Courtney Courtney - song

Boisdale Music Awards Instrumentalist of The Year: Bluey

Boisdale Music Awards Blues Artist of The Year: Mud Morganfield – Mannish Boy & Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning

Boisdale Music Awards Jazz Artist of the Year: Polly Gibbons – Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl

Boisdale Music Awards Soul Artist of The Year: Shalamar – A Night To Remember

Boisdale Music Awards Reggae Artist of The Year: UB40

Boisdale Music Awards Scottish Artist of The Year: The Cuban Brothers -

Boisdale Music Awards Female Artist of The Year: PP Arnold – The First Cut Is The Deepest

Boisdale Music Awards Male Artist of The Year: Howard Hewett -

Boisdale Music Awards Band of The Year: The Brand New Heavies -

Boisdale Music Awards Album of the Year: Face to Face by Suzi Quatro & KT Tunstall

Boisdale Music Awards Lifetime Legend: Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Annie I’m Not Your Daddy

Boisdale Music Awards Global Icon: Snow - Informer

Boisdale Music Awards Outstanding Contribution to Music 2023: Gregory Porter – Hoochie Coochie Man

On arrival at 6.00pm for the reception in The Hine Bar & Garden Terrace, 240 guests were served Chateau D’Esclans Rock Angel Rosé 2020, Veuve Clicquot NV Champagne and Oxley Gin & Artisan Classic London Tonic. At 7.30pm guests flowed upstairs to the main restaurant for a sumptuous three-course dinner comprising London burrata with spiced chickpeas, coriander, peppers and caramelised walnuts, roast fillet of Seatrout with red dulce, lemon & saffron, Cornish potatoes, prawns, and Chablis sauce and finally a sumptuous selection of British farmhouse cheeses. After The Boisdale Music Awards were finished, guests danced the night away to legendary Mi-Soul DJ Ronnie Herel in The Hine Bar & Garden Terrace.

Unique amongst live music venues, Boisdale boasts an award-winning wine list, one of the finest spirit collections in the UK, an outstanding cigar humidor, a magical garden terrace and a mouth-watering menu that’s as famous as the iconic world-class artists that grace our stage.

Boisdale of Canary Wharf hosts live music performances five nights a week (as well as a Sunday jazz brunch) in the restaurant and Whisky Bar on the second floor. The venue is also home to four private dining rooms, a 1,000 square foot Cigar Terrace, Cuban Cigar Library and Shop and the Hine Bar on the first floor. There is also Boisdale Belgravia with live music six nights a week and live jazz on Sundays.

Boisdale is named after the remote port on the beautiful Isle of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, off the North-West coast of Scotland. Boisdale was home to The Macdonald’s of Boisdale – the senior branch of the Macdonald’s of Clanranald, the largest and most anciently Royal of all the Highland clans. There are more than six million Macdonald clansmen throughout the world – all of whom can lay claim to this magnificent heritage, which has been charted down the generations since the 3rd century BC.

Boisdale’s founder is Ranald Macdonald - the eldest son of the 24th Chief and Captain of Clanranald - who launched the first restaurant in Belgravia 34 years ago in 1989. Boisdale continues to capture the essence of centuries of proud tradition with its warmth, informality, and unique atmosphere, simultaneously reminiscent of both a Highland country house and the Batcave in Gotham City!

Visit WWW.BOISDALE.CO.UK for more information.