| At 8 simultaneous events around Australia, the winners of the 2019 National Live Music Awards were revealed, with the awards once again highlighting the strength and diversity of the Australian Live Music Scene. Electric Fields were the big winners of the night, with three trophies, including the night’s two biggest artist awards – Live Act of the Year presented by APRA AMCOS and Live Voice of the Year presented by Panhead Custom Ales, which went to Zaachariaha Fielding. They also took home Best Live Electronic Act. Mojo Juju walked away with two awards, winning for the second straight year for R&B/Soul Live Act of the Year, and taking home the public-voted award for Best Live Act in Victoria, presented by SYN. Gang of Youths continued their winning streak, sitting as the most awarded act in National Live Music Awards history, having won 8 trophies across all four events. This year they took home the trophy for International Live Achievement (Band). Stella Donnelly won the Solo category for that award, adding to the three trophies she took home in 2018. Dark Mofo won two awards, winning the Best Live Event in Australia and Tasmania. Falls Festival also won two awards, taking out the Best Live Event in Victoria and also winning the All Ages Achievement trophy in Tasmania, celebrating their Marion Bay event as the festival’s only All Ages leg in the country. Also big winners in 2018, Tropical F*ck Storm have two awards to add to their mantle, this year for two of its musicians – Drummer Lauren Hammel and Guitarist Erica Dunn. Erica was on hand at the Brisbane event to accept the trophy for both of them. For the first time ever, the four instrumentalist awards were won exclusively by female musicians, with Bree Tranter and Jennifer Aslett taking out the Instrumentalist and Bassist categories, respectively. There were a few surprises on the night, including Canberra outfit Glitoris taking out the Hard Rock Live Act of the Year, beating out acts such as Northlane and DZ Deathrays. Bec Taylor, a founding member of band, also took home the All Ages Achievement award in Canberra for her music education organisation, Bec Taylor’s School of Music. Taking out the biggest industry award of the night, The NLMA, was Leanne de Souza; the award recognising her work for three years as head of the Association of Artist Managers, and 25+ years as an artist manager – cementing her status as one of the true champions of artists and managers in this country. The Country Award was tied for the first time ever, with both Kasey Chambers and The Waifs – two first-time nominees in our category – taking home trophies. Following on from her wins at the ARIA Awards, Tones & I took home Best New Act, presented by Jameson, and having played the first ever NLMAs in Melbourne, Didirri was a thrilled first-time winner for Best Live Voice in Victoria. Michelle Grace Hunder was named Live Music Photographer of the Year, and she accepted the award while in Dublin with fellow winner Ruel, who was named Best Live Voice in NSW, saying to the crowd, that she hoped her win ”inspired other young female music photographers to go out there and kick some goals”. Two Deborahs, legendary in their own right, also took home trophies. The first was Deborah Cheetham AO, the inaugural winner for the Classical Live Artist of the Year. In a recorded message in front of a live string quartet, Cheetham delivered one of the most poignant speeches of the night, saying, “Live Music is an integral part of who we are. I salute the finalists in all categories tonight. We need to keep this alive because it’s our purpose for being. Why do we strive to do anything except to know ourselves? And how do we know ourselves but through the arts? And there’s no better way of connecting that than though live performance.” And then the one and only Deborah Conway was inducted as a “Live Legend”, whose trophy was presented by Katie Noonan following messages from the likes of Kate Ceberano and Paul Mason. She reflected on the power of live music in her speech, saying “once again recorded music is secondary to live music, it is merely the calling card for the real deal. which happens in venues from vast to inatime anywhere. Who would have predicted that? And what a wonderfully surprising outcome. While I’ve heard some despairing about the decline of record sales, signalling the end of music, I prefer to believe it’s only the beginning.” Director of the NLMAs, Larry Heath, said of the successful night, “We were thrilled tonight to welcome a thousand people around Australia to showcase some of the best live music in the country, and celebrate the industry for the fourth consecutive year. I feel both the judges – and the general public who were given more control this year than ever before – made some incredible choices. You’ll agree with some, and you won’t agree with others – but we can all agree that this pool of talent is to be envied the world over”. Board Member Damien Cunningham head, “Yet again through the nominees and winners tonight we have seen the overwhelming talent that Australia has to offer! It is fantastic to see such great acts as Electric Fields, Mojo Juju, Stella Donnelly, Sampa the Great and Tones and I to win awards tonight. The awards really covers all area of live music from the new emerging acts like Jack Davies & The Bush Chooks and A. Swayze and The Ghosts through to Deborah Conway who is honoured as a live legend!” Here’s the full list of winners: National Awards LIVE LEGEND 2019 INDUCTEE DEBORAH CONWAY BEST LIVE VOICE PRESENTED BY PANHEAD CUSTOM ALES Zaachariaha Fielding (Electric Fields) R&B / SOUL ACT OF THE YEAR Mojo Juju BLUES & ROOTS ACT OF THE YEAR The Teskey Brothers HARD ROCK ACT OF THE YEAR Glitoris POP ACT OF THE YEAR G-Flip COUNTRY ACT OF THE YEAR KASEY CHAMBERS and THE WAIFS (TIE) INDIE / ROCK ACT OF THE YEAR Angie McMahon ELECTRONIC ACT OF THE YEAR Electric Fields HIP-HOP ACT OF THE YEAR Sampa The Great CLASSICAL ACT OF THE YEAR Deborah Cheetham JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR The Necks INTERNATIONAL LIVE ACHIEVEMENT (BAND) Gang of Youths INTERNATIONAL LIVE ACHIEVEMENT (SOLO) Stella Donnelly LIVE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Michelle Grace Hunder LIVE INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR Bree Tranter “THE SHEDDY” LIVE DRUMMER OF THE YEAR Lauren Hammel LIVE GUITARIST OF THE YEAR Erica Dunn LIVE BASSIST OF THE YEAR Jennifer Aslett BEST NEW ACT PRESENTED BY JAMESON Tones & I LIVE EVENT OF THE YEAR Dark Mofo LIVE ACT OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY APRA AMCOS Electric Fields THE NLMA FOR EXCELLENCE IN SUPPORT OF THE LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY PRESENTED TO Leanne de Souza NSW Awards BEST LIVE ACT IN NSW PRESENTED BY THE MUSIC NETWORK Jack River BEST LIVE VOICE IN NSW PRESENTED BY THE MUSIC NETWORK Ruel BEST LIVE VENUE IN NSW PRESENTED BY OZTIX Oxford Art Factory BEST LIVE EVENT IN NSW PRESENTED BY THE MUSIC NETWORK Yours & Owls Festival ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: NSW PRESENTED BY THE MUSIC NETWORK Music NSW ACT AWARDS BEST LIVE ACT IN ACT PRESENTED BY BMA Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers BEST LIVE VOICE IN ACT PRESENTED BY BMA Genesis Owusu BEST LIVE VENUE IN ACT PRESENTED BY OZTIX Smith’s Alternative LIVE EVENT IN ACT PRESENTED BY BMA Groovin The Moo ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: ACT PRESENTED BY BMA Bec Taylor School of Music NT AWARDS BEST LIVE VOICE IN NT PRESENTED BY FOLDBACK MAG Colin Lillie BEST LIVE ACT IN THE NT PRESENTED BY FOLDBACK MAG Baker Boy BEST LIVE VENUE IN THE NT PRESENTED BY OZTIX Darwin Railway Club BEST LIVE EVENT IN THE NT PRESENTED BY FOLDBACK MAG Darwin Festival ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: NT NT Music School VIC AWARDS BEST LIVE ACT IN VIC PRESENTED BY SYN MEDIA Mojo Juju BEST LIVE VOICE IN VIC PRESENTED BY SYN MEDIA Didirri BEST LIVE VENUE IN VIC PRESENTED BY OZTIX The Corner Hotel BEST LIVE EVENT IN VIC PRESENTED BY SYN MEDIA Falls Festival ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: VIC Music Victoria WA AWARDS BEST LIVE ACT IN WA PRESENTED BY RTR FM Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks BEST LIVE VOICE IN WA PRESENTED BY RTR FM Carla Geneve BEST LIVE VENUE IN WA PRESENTED BY OZTIX Mojos BEST LIVE EVENT IN WA PRESENTED BY RTR FM WAMFest ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: WA Em Burrows TAS AWARDS BEST LIVE ACT IN TAS PRESENTED BY EDGE RADIO A. Swayze and The Ghosts BEST LIVE VOICE IN TAS PRESENTED BY EDGE RADIO Claire Anne Taylor BEST LIVE VENUE IN TAS PRESENTED BY OZTIX The Brisbane Hotel BEST LIVE EVENT IN TAS PRESENTED BY EDGE RADIO Dark Mofo ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: TAS Falls Festival Marion Bay SA AWARDS BEST LIVE ACT IN SA PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF ADELAIDE Teenage Joans BEST LIVE VOICE IN SA PRESENTED BY THREE D RADIO Bec Stevens BEST LIVE VENUE IN SA PRESENTED BY OZTIX Lion Arts Factory BEST LIVE EVENT IN SA PRESENTED BY THREE D RADIO A Day of Clarity ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: SA Girls Rock! Adelaide QLD AWARDS BEST LIVE ACT IN QLD Cub Sport BEST LIVE VOICE IN QLD Thelma Plum BEST LIVE VENUE IN QLD PRESENTED BY OZTIX The Tivoli BEST LIVE EVENT IN QLD Caloundra Music Festival ALL AGES ACHIEVEMENT: QLD Brett Wood Principal of the Music Industry College For more details about the awards, head to nlmas.com.au. |
