Sussex band Keane have been named songwriters of the year at the glitzy Ivor Novello awards.

The trio, from Battle, had also hoped their song Everybody's Changing would win Best Song Musically and Lyrically but lost out to The Streets with Dry Your Eyes.

Keane's success follows the Brit Awards in February when they won awards for Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Album.

At the awards ceremony, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Park Lane, Babyshambles and former Libertines front man Pete Doherty made an impression by wearing a straw hat with black marker pen scrawled over his face.

The reformed heroin addict claimed to have found microphones in his house and said he was worried he was being bugged.

Rolling Stones Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were given a special songwriting award, while Duran Duran were honoured for their outstanding contribution to British music, Queen for their outstanding song collection, and Robert Smith, of The Cure, for international achievement.