Franz Ferdinand won top honours at the 2005 NME awards last night. But it was the conflict between Pete Doherty's illustrious past and his troubled present that dominated the event.
Doherty's former group, The Libertines, were named best British band despite the fact they called it quits after he was ousted for failing to tackle his drug addiction.
After accepting the award for best British band, the Libertines' Carl Barat said: "We've been through a lot and I want to thank everyone who has remained objective. My heart goes out to Pete. I'd hoped he'd be here tonight and we would have had some kind of reunion."
Doherty had been invited to the awards but was prevented after his mother had rang them and said he was too sick to attend.
His new group, Babyshambles, which has yet to release an album, failed to win anything despite being nominated for best live band and best new band.
The result may concern Babyshambles' record label, Rough Trade, because the NME awards are voted by music fans rather than the experts and industry figures that decide the Mercury prize and Brit awards. More than 50,000 readers cast votes for this year's awards, organisers said.
The Glasgow quartet Franz Ferdinand won two trophies at the ceremony at London's Hammersmith Palais. The band's song Take Me Out was named best track and their eponymous debut album best album.
Franz Ferdinand won the Mercury music prize in September and two Brit awards earlier this month. Their domination of the 2005 NME awards comes only 12 months after they won the Philip Hall radar award, recognising emerging talent, at the 2004 NME awards.
This year that award went to Kaiser Chiefs, a Leeds band being hailed as the new Franz Ferdinand. Fittingly, Kaiser Chiefs were handed their trophy by Franz Ferdinand's singer Alex Kapranos.
Hosted by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the stars of the film Shaun of the Dead, the NME awards underlined both the resurgence of rock and the vitality of British music. Razorlight, a band fronted by Johnny Borrell, who emerged from the same east London scene as The Libertines, won best new band.
Martin Talbot, the editor of Music Week, described the current scene as "a really exciting time for British music".
"Another British band, Muse, which closed last year's V Festival with a blistering performance described as "rock genius" by one NME critic, were voted best live band.
And NME readers voted Las Vegas group The Killers best international band.
Graham Coxon, the guitarist dumped by Blur after battling drink, drugs and depression, was voted best solo artist. And New Order, the era-defining dance-rock band that emerged from the ruins of Joy Division, was handed the godlike genius award won last year by Ozzy Osbourne.
The most emotional presentation of the night was the special award for lifelong service to music given to DJ John Peel, who died in October. It was collected by his wife Sheila and son William.
Presenting the award, Fergal Sharkie, lead singer of the Undertones said: "We need to celebrate the opportunities that John gave to me and thousands like me."
Shaun of the Dead won the award for best film.
The winners
Best album
Franz Ferdinand/Franz Ferdinand
Best track
Take Me Out/Franz Ferdinand
Best British band
The Libertines
Best live band
Muse
Best international band
The Killers
Best new band
Razorlight
Best solo artist
Graham Coxon
Philip Hall radar award
Kaiser Chiefs
Best event
Glastonbury
Best video
American Idiot/Green Day
Best music DVD
Definitely Maybe/Oasis
Best radio show
Zane Lowe
Best TV show
Little Britain
Best film
Shaun of the Dead
Special award for lifelong service to music
John Peel
John Peel award for musical innovation
The Others
Godlike genius award
New Order
Guardian
