photo by Rebecca Smeyne

If you were at last month's PLUG Awards, Nick Cave's presence was pretty awkward. Or rather, if you were at last month's Nick Cave show, the presence of the PLUG Awards was pretty awkward. Guess Mr. Cave felt the same way:

PLUG Awards
Terminal 5
Thursday, March 6
photos by Rebecca Smeyne
More photos here

Nick Cave

José González

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (Merge)
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justice
SONG OF THE YEAR
The National, "Fake Empire" (Beggars Banquet)
AMERICANA ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop)
INDIE ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam (Domino)
METAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ire Works (Relapse)
HIP-HOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Aesop Rock, None Shall Pass (Definitive Jux)
PUNK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)
AVANT ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Liars, Liars (Mute)
RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
Merge
MUSIC WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
Pitchfork Media
MUSIC BLOG OF THE YEAR
Stereogum
MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
Paste
COLLEGE/NON-COMM RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR
KEXP
ZINE OF THE YEAR
Wax Poetics
ONLINE RECORD STORE OF THE YEAR
iTunes
SPECIALTY SHOW OF THE YEAR (COMMERCIAL RADIO)
Sirius: Left Of Center, Blog Radio (New York, NY)
REASON YOU HATE VAMPIRE WEEKEND OF THE YEAR
They suck

Tonight, the PLUG 2008 Independent Music Awards will take place at Terminal 5, honoring winners in categories from Album of the Year to Zine of the Year. Coincidentally, an internal memo circulated among PLUG Cartel members just landed in Sound of the City's inbox, regarding "FWD: FWD: FWD: A LIST OF NOMINEES WE SHOULD REALLY INCLUDE BECAUSE IT'D BE AMUSING, LOL." It's posted below in entirety. Think you'll see why these never went past the FWD: FWD: FWD stage.

BLACK BAND OF THE YEAR

Black Angels
Black Dice
Black Kids
Black Lips
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
The Black Swans
Crippled Black Phoenix
The Blipster Express

LOFT-SHOW POWER-DUO OF THE YEAR

Best Fwends
The DeathSet
High Places
Japanther
Lightning Bolt
Matt & Kim
Maura & Jess
No Age
U$AI$AMONSTER
Joly from Punkcast.com and His Videocamera

REASON YOU HATE VAMPIRE WEEKEND OF THE YEAR

They plan field trips to LaCoste
They wear dog-embroidered sweaters
They namedrop Louis Vuitton
They are one-trick show-ponies
You heard that the chandelier on their album cover is from an elitist Columbia fraternity that only prep-school kids can get into
You saw bassist Chris Baio making out with a disproportionately hot girl outside the NorthSide car service on Bedford Ave and it's just not fair
They remind you of all those smug assholes you knew in college
They suck

REASON YOU LOVE VAMPIRE WEEKEND OF THE YEAR

You once went to Cape Cod and were really bored too
Your closet is full of dog-embroidered sweaters
They namedrop Lil' Jon too—so lay off, classwarfaring honkeys
They play their instruments really well
Carrie Brownstein likes the song "A-Punk"
The drummer is hot
Ezra Koenig taught you about condoms
Ezra Koenig sings "Fuck the bears in Provincetown" in the song "Walcott" and you're a homophobe

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