Ezra Collective and Fontaines D.C. lead nominations at the 15th anniversary of the AIM Awards, whilst Cosey Fanni Tutti and Shed Seven are set to be honoured.

As the AIM Independent Music Awards gears up for its landmark 15th anniversary edition in September, the organisation gives us a taste of what’s yet to come by announcing three of its winners for coveted awards, as well as its final nominees for 2025. 

 

Avant-garde icon Cosey Fanni Tutti will be crowned this year’s ‘Innovator Award’ winner, a recognition of her radical legacy that has redefined music, art and culture. From her pioneering work with Throbbing Gristle and COUM Transmissions, to her label Industrial Records and solo releases on Conspiracy International, Cosey’s influence can be traced through generations of artists, with Björk, Nine Inch Nails and FKA twigs among those who cite her as a touchstone.

Meanwhile, Brit-rock veterans Shed Seven have been voted ‘Best Live Performer’, beating out tough competition from Alison Moyet, Elles Bailey, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Wunderhorse. Known for their high-octane sets and unshakable connection with fans, the band will officially take home the title on the Roundhouse stage.

 

Elsewhere, online music platform Bandcamp has been named Independent Music Champion (in association with PRS), applauded for its artist-first model where 82% of sales go directly to musicians, a lifeline for independent acts thriving outside major-label systems.

The nominees’ list is completely stacked this year. Ezra Collective and Fontaines D.C. lead the field with three nods each, while anaiis, Fcukers, Hope Tala, Maverick Sabre, Fat Dog, Bon Iver, Wunderhorse and Wet Leg are all snapping at their heels with two nominations apiece.

 

‘The Best Independent Video’ category is a visual feast, with Ezra Collective’s ‘God Gave Me Feet For Dancing’ up against Bricknasty’s ‘Vinland’, Black Honey’s ‘Psycho’, Wet Leg’s ‘Catch These Fists’ and Fontaines D.C.’s sharp-edged ‘In The Modern World’.

For rising names, the PPL Award for ‘Most Played New Independent Artist’ brings together genre-spanning talent: Fat Dog, First Time Flyers, IN PARALLEL, NDOTZ and Popeth.

 

Live performances on the night promise as much variety as the nominations: expect Moonchild Sanelly’s unapologetic Future-Ghetto-Funk, Coach Party’s alt-rock bite, and a stirring set from Ayanna Witter-Johnson.

 

‘Best Creative Campaign’ honours go to the teams behind some of the year’s boldest release strategies, from Aitch’s ambitious rollout for 4,  to Jagjaguwar’s fishy twist on Bon Iver’s SABLE fABLE, XL’s world-building around Fontaines D.C.’s Romance and Transgressive’s boundary-pushing posthumous project with SOPHIE.

Independent labels and stores also get their spotlight. Because Music, Communion Records, Modern Sky UK, Transgressive and XL Recordings battle it out for ‘Best Independent Label’, while Best Boutique Label highlights the grassroots brilliance of AD 93, Clasico Records, Flystr8, Submarine Cat Records and Untitled (Recs). Record stores in Saffron Walden, Gosport, Camden, Telford and Bury are all up for ‘Best Independent Record Store’, celebrating the vital role these spaces play as both cultural hubs and lifelines for independent music.

 

Speaking on this year’s nominees, AIM CEO Gee Davy summed it up: “The Awards are about celebrating the entire ecosystem that makes independent music thrive, from boundary-pushing artists, visionary labels and creative teams, to record shops and music businesses that platform music, to the fans and communities that keep it thriving.”

See below for the newly announced AIM Awards 2025 nominees:

 

Innovator Award
Cosey Fanni Tutti *WINNER*

 

Best Live Performer
Alison Moyet (Cooking Vinyl)
Elles Bailey (Cooking Vinyl)
Ayanna Witter-Johnson (Hill and Gully Records) Shed Seven (Cooking Vinyl) *WINNER* Wunderhorse (Communion Records)

 

Best Independent Video (in association with VEVO)
Bricknasty – Vinland (FAMM)
Black Honey – Psycho (Foxfive Records)
Fontaines D.C. – In The Modern World (XL Recordings)
Ezra Collective – God Gave Me Feet For Dancing Ft. Yazmin Lacey (Partisan Records)
Wet Leg – Catch These Fists (Domino Recording Co.)

 

PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist
Fat Dog (Domino Recording Co)
First Time Flyers (Lookout Mountain)
IN PARALLEL (Method 808)
NDOTZ (Chosen Flystr8)
Popeth (Recordiau Cosh Records)

 

Best Independent Label
Because Music
Communion Records
Modern Sky UK
Transgressive
XL Recordings

 

Best Independent Record Store
Art Beats (Saffron Walden)
A Slice of Vinyl (Gosport)
Raven Records (Camden, London)
Spinning Around Records (Wellington, Telford) Wax & Beans (Bury)

 

Best Creative Campaign
NQ Records and Aitch (‘4’)
Jagjaguwar and Bon Iver (‘SABLE, fABLE’)
XL Recordings and Fontaines D.C. (‘Romance’)
The Leaf Label and Snapped Ankles (‘Hard Times Furious Dancing’) Transgressive and SOPHIE (‘SOPHIE’)

 

Best Boutique Label (in association with Qobuz)
AD 93
Clasico Records
Flystr8
Submarine Cat Records Untitled (recs)

 

Independent Music Champion in association with PRS
Bandcamp *WINNER*