Arctic Monkeys and Manic Street Preachers were lauded at the Shockwaves NME Awards but it was Pete Doherty who emerged as the unlikely hero.

NME readers voted Babyshambles singer Doherty as their Hero of the Year.

Arctic Monkeys continued their winning streak with a trio of awards - Best British Band, Best Track for Fluorescent Adolescence and Best Video for Teddy Picker.

In Pictures: NME Awards 2008

It follows their double win at last week's Brits, where they memorably turned up dressed as country gents and proceeded to enjoy the free bar.

This time they wore normal clothes and frontman Alex Turner said: "Tonight we're going to attempt to behave like the gentlemen that we were dressed as last week."

The Awards were held yesterday at the IndigO2 venue inside London's O2 Arena.

Brits winner Kate Nash beat Amy Winehouse to the Best Solo Artist award.

And there was further bad news for Winehouse - in the same week that she reportedly met bosses about launching her own clothes line, the singer took NME's Worst Dressed title.

Manic Street Preachers were honoured with the Godlike Genius award, which was presented by fellow Welshman, boxer Joe Calzaghe.

The Welsh band's career has spanned more than 25 years and survived the loss of guitarist Richey Edwards, who disappeared in 1995.

NME editor Conor McNicholas said: "They are a band scarred by a terrible loss, but one who used the energy of that loss to make their most generated album.

"If ever there were a band that meant something, a band that were '4 real', it is this band."
The Manics closed the show with hits including Design For Life.

Other performers included the Klaxons and Billy Bragg, who duetted with Kate Nash.

Full List of Winners

Best British Band: Arctic Monkeys
Best International Band: The Killers
Best New Band: The Enemy
Best Live Band: Muse
Best Solo Artist: Kate Nash
Best Album: Myths Of The Near Future - Klaxons
Best Track: Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
Best Video: Teddy Picker - Arctic Monkeys
Best Dancefloor Filler: Let's Dance To Joy Division - The Wombats
Best Music DVD: Unplugged In New York - Nirvana
Best Live Event: Carling Weekend - Reading and Leeds Festivals
Hero of the Year: Pete Doherty
Villain of the Year: George Bush
Best Dressed: Noel Fielding
Worst Dressed: Amy Winehouse
Best Album Artwork: The Good, The Bad And The Queen - The Good, The Bad And The Queen
Best Radio Show: Zane Lowe (Radio 1)
Worst Album: Blackout - Britney Spears
Worst Band: The Hoosiers
Best TV Show: The Mighty Boosh
Best Film: Control
Sexiest Man: Noel Fielding
Sexiest Woman: Kylie Minogue
Best Venue: Wembley Stadium
Best Website: Facebook
Best Band Blog: Radiohead (www.radiohead.com/deadairspace)
Best Music Blog: The Modern Age (www.themodernage.org)
Philip Hall Radar Award: Glasvegas
Godlike Genius: Manic Street Preachers