About Entertainment – Magazine – Take That receive coveted award

About Entertainment – Magazine –

Take That are in the middle of their 20-date stadium tour

Pop survivors Take That have won their second coveted Silver Clef award, recognising an 18-year chart career.

The former boyband first received the prize in 1995, mere months before Robbie Williams quit.

On that occasion, so many fans packed the entrance to the Intercontinental Hotel in London that the group had to be ushered in through a side entrance.

They have now eclipsed the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones, who have only received the prize once.

The trophy is awarded each year to raise funds for music therapy charity Nordoff-Robins.

Lulu, who duetted with Take That on Relight My Fire, turned up to present the four-piece with their trophy.

Other winners at this year’s ceremony at the London Hilton included Madness, who picked up the Icon award, and Queen, who were named Ambassadors of Rock.

SILVER CLEF AWARDS 2009 Silver Clef Award - Take That Icon Award - Madness Classical Award - Faryl Smith Ambassadors of Rock – Queen Best British Band - Stereophonics Digital Award - N-Dubz International Award - Brian Wilson Newcomer Award - La Roux (pictured)

Beach Boys’ frontman Brian Wilson attended the ceremony to collect a trophy for Best International Act while, on the opposite side of the musical spectrum, dance act N-Dubz were given the Digital Award.

Welsh rockers Stereophonics were named British Band of 2009, and La Roux were awarded Best Newcomer in the week they scored their first UK number one, with Bulletproof.

The event, which has so far raised over £7.5m for Nordoff-Robbins, also featured an auction of one-off music memorabilia items, including a one-off Mini Cooper, designed by former Silver Clef recipient Paul Weller.

Take That, who scored their first hit in 1991, are in the middle of the biggest tour the UK has ever seen – playing to more than a million people at 20 stadium concerts.

Oatcakes

They scored their first hit, Promises, in 1991, and went on to score eight number ones before splitting up in 1996.

Following a TV documentary in 2005, they reformed – without Williams – for a tour, which has led to two successful albums as a more mature form of boy band.

Their second Silver Clef will be a welcome addition to the trophy cabinet – as Williams claimed to have held on to the original one.

"We are honoured to win this, as we are with every award," he said after picking up the prize from TV presenter Gaby Roslin in 1995.

"We have a pitched battle in the band over who gets to take the award home. We start at each end of the pitch, then move into the middle to kick it out amongst ourselves.

"But I always win because I am a big lad and I was brought up on oatcakes – which is a good Staffordshire delicacy."