The UK Music Video Awards at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square

The UK MVA is an annual ceremony celebrating the innovative creatives behind the visual promotion of music. The audio-visual medium has electrified the music industry over the past few years, and in 2008 the awards were launched to honour those behind the camera.

An amazing atmosphere of excitement and passion greets you in the spectacle that is the Empire Cinema. Dance group, Peridot perform an exquisitely timed piece involving a medley of the nominees’ tracks to make way for host Adam Buxton, Radio 6 presenter and comedian.

Buxton opens the show with relative humour knowing that we’re all here to celebrate the Music Video Awards. He also makes a particular impact on the hyped audience about the YouTube comments nominees have received, and then goes on to ask how they made such sensational videos to accompany such sensational songs. He finishes with a statement of the importantance of celebrating music videos in this day and age, and those who make them come to life.

The award winners that standout include director Romain Gavras, whose video for MIA’s Bad Girls wins numerous categories: Best Pop Video of The Year, Best Styling in a Video, Best Director and Video of the Year. This accomplishment has created a promising path for the Franco-Greek director.

Other big names that come away with awards are Aletta Collins’ Best Choreography work on Will Young’s Losing Myself. Best Telecine goes to TK James Tillet at Moving Pictures for Temper Trap’s Trembling Hands and Best Music Ad (TV/online) went to Kasabian for Velociraptor.

Best Alternative Video was given to Alt-J’s Breezeblocks, directed by Ellis Bahl. Best Urban Video (in association with East End Studios) was Plan B’s Ill Manors that also accompanied the release of his debut film by the same name earlier this year.

The People’s Choice Award (in association with Vevo) went to the unstoppable One Direction for their hit Live While We’re Young, directed by Vaughan Arnell, the only award of the night voted solely by the public.

The after-party was held at Cafe de Paris, also in Leicester Square where the adorable, up-and-coming Louise Golbey (nominee for Budget Best Pop Video for her song How It Is) could be seen dancing away to the early hours and Plan B mingled and schmoozed the room, taking particular interest in this reporter’s crazy tights.

Overall, this was a brilliant evening of achievement and an important night of recognition, well hosted and presented. Here’s to the 2013 awards.

Plan B, click here and you can purchase your very own pair of Gold by Giles Deacon tights.

Sarah Milton

For further information on the UK Music Video Awards and to view the full list of winners visit the awards’ website here.

Watch the video for M.I.A’s Bad Girls here: