The dimly lit underground haunt of 170 Russell was packed with the best and brightest of Victorian music, gathering for The Age Music Victoria Awards and after party!
Certain awards were decided by popular vote: the choice of the punters, after all, being the deciding factor in the success of artists. The air was jubilant, and as the formalities drew to a close, a further 400 people flooded the venue, there to indulge in a showcase of some of Victoria’s best talent. Melbourne Ska Orchestra, the twenty-something cacophony of funk, rounded out the evening, following appearances including Alex Lahey, Camp Cope, Paul Dempsey, Tash Sultana, and more.
A special shout out to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, for their impressive three-gong domination (Best Album for Nonagon Infinity, Best Band and Best Live Band), and The Drones for taking out Best Regional Band, and Best Song (“Taman Shud”). Unsurprisingly, Camp Cope took out Best Emerging Act, and Alex Lahey continued her catapulting career, taking out Best Female Artist.
It was fantastic to see The Tote take out Best Venue (under 500 capacity)- it remains a stalwart of the Melbourne music scene; most have spent many a beer-soaked evening there, catching everything from punk to electronica.
We wish to extend our largest congratulations to these award winners – it’s been a pleasure being involved in watching you grow, and we can’t wait to see what will be an undeniably bright future!
PUBLIC VOTED WINNERS
BEST ALBUM: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (Nonagon Infinity)
BEST SONG: The Drones (“Taman Shud”)
BEST BAND: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
BEST MALE ARTIST: C.W. Stoneking
BEST FEMALE ARTIST: Alex Lahey
BEST EMERGING ACT: Camp Cope
BEST REGIONAL ACT: The Drones
BEST LIVE BAND: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
BEST REGIONAL VENUE: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine
BEST VENUE (OVER 500 CAPACITY): Corner Hotel
BEST VENUE (UNDER 500 CAPACITY): The Tote
BEST FESTIVAL: Meredith Music Festival
INDUSTRY NOMINATED GENRE WINNERS
BEST HEAVY ALBUM: Be’Lakor (Vessels)
BEST FOLK OR ROOTS ALBUM: Oh Pep! (Stadium Cake)
BEST EXPERIMENTAL OR AVANT-GARDE ACT: Inland (Alex Gardsen and Rohan Drape)
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM: Tracy McNeil & The Goodlife (Thieves)
BEST HIP HOP ALBUM: Plutonic Lab (Deep Above the Noise)
BEST ELECTRONIC ACT: Harvey Sutherland
BEST JAZZ ALBUM: Peter Knight (Way Out West)
BEST ABORIGINAL ACT: Benny Walker
BEST GLOBAL OR REGGAE ALBUM: Melbourne Ska Orchestra (Sierra Kilo Alpha)
BEST SOUL/FUNK/R&B/GOSPEL ALBUM: Kylie Auldist (Family Tree)
BEST BLUES ALBUM: Nick Charles (The River Flows)
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The awards season is in full swing- keep your eyes peeled for the AU awards! You can have your say in the best of Australian music, and cast your vote HERE.
Photo of Camp Cope by Matt Warrell.
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