VAGRANT REAL ESTATE WINS SCOTTISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Scottish Album of the Year Award named Vagrant Real Estate’s Neither Collar Nor Crown its 2026 winner at Dundee’s Caird Hall on Thursday night. The Aberdeen DJ and producer, whose real name is Nick Cronin, received £20,000 and a bespoke trophy. A panel drawn from across the creative industries selected the winner from a shortlist including Barry Can’t Swim, Boards of Canada, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Hen Hoose Collective, Swim School and VLURE. Accepting the award, Cronin said: “This is a bit mad, I fully did not expect this at all - enormous thank you to the panel.”

Released on St Andrew’s Day in 2025, Neither Collar Nor Crown brings together 25 Scottish artists, including rapper Bemz, folk singer Iona Fyfe and MC Jackill. The album combines English and Gaelic lyrics with traditional folk, spoken word, choral arrangements, rap and hip-hop. Cronin has released music independently since 2018. In his acceptance speech, he thanked the collaborators and Chelsea Frew for the artwork, and encouraged musicians pursuing careers outside Scotland’s central belt.

Vic Galloway and Nicola Meighan co-hosted the ceremony, which marked the award’s 15th year. Each of the other nine shortlisted artists received £1,000 and a sculpture by Dundee maker Camillo Atlas. The Scottish Music Industry Association, which organises the award, says it has distributed more than £462,000 in prize money since launching the award in 2012. Robert Kilpatrick, the association’s chief executive and creative director, described Cronin’s album as “a masterpiece in both collaboration and storytelling”.