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We had the Roundhouse booked for two nights for the Q Awards next week. We didn’t have talent sorted when we had to Covid cancel in April, but Nadine Shah was presenting and the two gigs were Liam Gallagher one night, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott the other.
The only award we knew for sure was to Paul Heaton, as we’d heard he’d never won one. Think of all the brilliant songs he’s written for The Housemartins, Beautiful South etc. Millions of records sold. No Q award (or Brit) for his songwriting. So we knew he’d be Classic Songwriter
Then, a few days after Q closed, we got a message from him saying that to thank Q for all the support we’d given him over 35 years, he was going to donate a large sum to thank us in our turmoil. Obviously, I politely declined.
He was insistent. I accepted the donation and shared it amongst over 40 staff and freelancers working for Q at the time, all of whose minds - like mine - were blown. It really was the most amazingly kind, selfless, generous act. For some, it meant a bill could be paid.
We got him that award in the end. Britain’s greatest living pop star. A true legend.
