The organisers of the Birmingham Music Awards have decided that the ceremony will no longer take place due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
The awards were due to be held on May 28th, 2020 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. However, due to the pandemic, the awards have been postponed and will now take place on November 5th, 2020 at the city’s Town Hall.
The event helps showcase local talent, by bringing the music community together and presenting awards to those who are deemed most worthy by a panel of judges.
There are a range of categories the awards including rock, indie, rap, r&b, dance, pop, reggae, and jazz.
Jo Jeffries – the co-founder of the event – is an accomplished singer/songwriter who is well known for being a part of pop group ,Atomic Kitten. She’s written songs for other artists worldwide and has worked for a number of major radio stations, including Kerrang Radio.
Jo told Birmingham Eastside about the impact the pandemic has had on herself and the awards.
“It’s been an almighty blow but we’re fortunate enough to be able to postpone, rather than cancel, as so many other music events have had to. We have had to cancel our immediate monthly events though, which has had an impact on our ability to help keep the local music community engaged with us and with each other.
“Everyone in the music and events sectors is feeling the strain as our businesses have effectively ground to a halt. We are fortunate that our sponsors and partners are still invested and happy to wait for the new date. The delay will impact our cashflow but we too are determined that our purpose is far greater than money.”
Jo also confirmed that once the virus is over the monthly events they have will also resume.
In a post on Instagram, Birmingham Music Awards announced the new date for the event to the public.
The general reaction from the nominees attending was a sense of disappointment as they will now have to wait to celebrate the best of Birmingham.
KIOKO a reggae/indie influenced band commented on how the virus has affected them, the lead singer said they were disappointed to miss the event.
”It’s such a shame, especially for a local and home town thing to have to postpone but the team over there are very resourceful and I’m sure when all this is over we’ll all be able to come together and enjoy the night as it was intended and we’ll have to remain in suspense to see if we win our nomination.
KIOKO band
”We’re very sad not to be able to be playing gigs, as that’s what we love doing together, but also just even meeting up for a rehearsal or hanging out.“
Tickets will be back on sale soon and can be purchased here. Any tickets already purchased will remain valid for the event.
For further information on the Birmingham Music Awards check out their website and their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
