The twelfth Northern Ireland Music Prize took place at Belfast’s Ulster Hall last night, marking the conclusion of this year’s Sound of Belfast programme. Launched in 2013 to honour the best in Northern Irish music, the awards celebrated a broad range of talent with live performances and key wins across several categories.

The Album of the Year award went to Problem Patterns for their debut LP, Blouse Club. The queer punk band was announced as the winner by Lord Mayor Councillor Micky Murray. Jordan Adetunji picked up the Music Video of the Year award for his Grammy-nominated track ‘Kehlani,’ while Huartan, who also performed on the night, won Live Act of the Year for their fusion of traditional Irish music and electronica.

Other awards included BBC ATL Introducing Artist of the Year, which was won by Esmeralda Road following a public vote, and Single of the Year, awarded to JC Stewart. A posthumous Outstanding Contribution to Music award was presented to the family of late BBC broadcaster Gerry Anderson by IMRO, with his son David accepting the tribute.

The evening featured performances from Dana Masters, Derry’s Tramp, and Cara Dillon, alongside a headline set by Eric Bell, who received the Oh Yeah Legend Award. Bell’s set included a rendition of Whiskey in the Jar, where he was joined onstage by Tim Wheeler of ASH.

Charlotte Dryden, CEO of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, which organises the annual awards, said: “Every year we think there’s no way we can top that one, and we do. A very proud night for NI Music. Massive. Congratulations to all the winners, performers and to everyone involved. The Ulster Hall rocked, raged, sparked, fizzed and filled out hearts tonight.”