U2 honoured as 'Greatest Act'

Members of U2 - (from left) Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen - arrive on the red carpet for the Q Music Magazine Awards at a central London hotel overnight. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Rock icons U2 have something new to brag about - winning Q Magazine's Greatest Act of the Last 25 Years award.

The annual music awards by Britain's best-selling music monthly took place in London overnight and the Irish quartet was among the music notables at the ceremony.

The UK's artist of the moment, singer/songwriter Adele, won two awards, for Best Female and Best Track for her song "Rolling in the Deep." She didn't attend, since the event comes just two weeks after she was forced to cancel her US tour due to throat problems.

Coldplay was voted Best Act in the World Today, although lead singer Chris Martin disagreed with the accolade.

"U2 are the best band in the world at the moment. We are about seventh," he said.

Noel Gallagher, one-half of the warring brothers who led the rock band Oasis to chart glory, was named a Q icon. But he said that award did not come close to rivaling his joy when his favorite football team, Manchester City, smashed crosstown rival Manchester United 6-1 on Sunday.

"No award can compare to that. That was the best day of my life, bar my children being born," Gallagher said.

Eighteen awards were handed out, including to rapper Tinie Tempah for Best Male Artist and to US internet sensation Lana Del Ray, who was crowned the Next Big Thing.

Brian May and Roger Taylor accepted entry into the Q Hall of Fame on behalf of glam rockers Queen, and Take That's Gary Barlow was honoured as Classic Songwriter.

Multimillion-selling DJ Norman Cook, aka Fat Boy Slim, was presented with a Q Inspiration award.