The Indy Music Awards are designed to recognise the best live acts to have graced any one of 30 of London's top independent venues, voted for by the venues themselves and their promoters. The Camden borough of our capital has been the centre of a vibrant scene for many years, and had hundreds of unsigned bands from all over the country gracing the Dublin Castle stage in 2006. Considering the venue averages around four bands on stage every night of the week that's a lot of musicians. The Cherokees formed at the end of the 1990s and played Dublin Castle for the first time in 2003 supporting The Killers, it was the US outfits first ever UK performance. "I don't know what they expected 'cause they turned up in a limo and their gear turned up separate... I think they might have been expecting a real castle. It was a fantastic set that they played," said bass player Coupe. Since playing that night the Sheffield band have been invited back on a number of occasions. The nominations have been split into categories and the top four bands in each category will be invited to perform at a gala night at The Clapham Grand in front of a 1,400 strong crowd. EP release The band have an album ready but first will release an EP at the end of March, the tracks are already available as a download and drummer Nort tells us more: "On the 26 March an EP that was produced by Hugh Cornwell (frontman of The Stranglers) at the end of last year is gonna be released. Three tracks, Business Clothes, All Up Here and Recover." When asked what it was like to work with Cornwell Coupe said: "I was expecting some wild man of rock but he quite liked to be in (the studios) early, he definitely had a great work ethic. "A job had to be done, but then it was obviously down to the pub [laughs]." How to vote You can visit the band's My Space page and listen to their tracks, and if you feel you'd like to can visit the awards site and submit your vote. | 
