Neil Diamond, the Sex Pistols and Led Zeppelin were among the big winners at last night's Mojo Honours List awards, proving that age is no barrier to continued success in the once youth-obsessed world of rock 'n' roll.
Even the newer acts that won prizes at the annual awards organised by the music magazine wear their 1960s influences on their sleeves. Duffy, the Welsh singer who has been likened to Dusty Springfield, won best single for her ubiquitous number one hit Mercy. And The Last Shadow Puppets, the Scott Walker-indebted side project put together by Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and Rascals singer Miles Kane, were named best breakthrough act.
Phil Alexander, Mojo's editor, said the awards were proof that the best artists made timeless music. "It's good that there's a line drawn between the present and the past. Music is a continuum. The Duffy single sounds like a lost northern soul classic," he said.
With classic artists now having a longer shelf life thanks to digital download stores that allow users to rifle through 50 years of popular music and younger consumers able to more easily sample the acts that influence their favourite bands, many are enjoying a renaissance. Diamond, who was presented with the classic songwriter award by Richard Hawley and will play the O2 arena in London this weekend, has enjoyed the most successful period of his long career since teaming up with legendary producer Rick Rubin. His latest album, Home Before Dark, topped the charts in both the UK and the US last month, making him the oldest artist ever to have an American number one.
With older consumers a key demographic targeted by record labels because they are still paying for music rather than downloading pirated tracks from the internet, and able to pay for expensive concert tickets, many big names from the 1970s and 1980s are re-forming.
Led Zeppelin, who played a benefit gig at the O2 last year that sparked a worldwide clamour for tickets, were named best live act. Paul Weller, the former Jam frontman, was given the outstanding contribution to music award. His recent 22 Dreams album has been hailed as a return to form.
The Sex Pistols, who are working on their first new material in almost three decades after re-forming to play live several times, were handed the Mojo icon award. Alexander said the band, who played to 65,000 people on the Isle of Wight, "truly redefined modern music in the space of one solitary album".
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