Report: Independent Music Awards 2010

MELANIE LEWIS* reports from Friday’s Jagermeister Independent Music Awards at The Forum Theatre in Melbourne, where industry networking was the real winner on the night. Photos by *ROBERT CARBONE.

I love watching music industry awards on telly. Yes. Amazingly boring things probably happen off camera, but from the loungeroom they’re usually pretty slick. Nomination video packages catch every eye from enormous plasmas. Rows of D-grade celebs, shoulder to shoulder in a cavernous theatre, dressed to the nines, dressed to abhor the nines. So I wanted to go to one. And where better to start than the Jagermeister Independent Music Awards, I thought, which bills itself as a ?celebration of awesome music?.

The Forum starts filling like a funeral: from the back stalls. Prime booths had been officially reserved since they have folded pieces of A4 paper erected like two-person tents in their centres. Not one to stand forlornly at the velvet rope I spy British India and Dan Sultan before drifting back to a row behind Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier, who are having a grand old catch-up with assorted musicians and friends – just like everyone else it seems.

Conversations are abuzz with new recordings, possible EPs, preferred guitars and the relaying of anecdotes to the point that when MC Scott Dooley bounds out on stage in cricket whites to deliver some incredibly unfunny Alan Border Medal count humour (complete with a song-and-dance-troupe of cricketers) it appears that no one notices. (Besides a chap beside me who exclaims in horror, ?Fuck me. Is that Dools??)

Amity Affliction* wake everybody up immediately, with the first live number for the night, though minutes later they lose out to *Parkway Drive in the Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album category. Perhaps this is a pre-cursor to the ARIAs where they’re nominated for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album, too?

Accepting his first award for Best Independent Blues And Roots Album (he later wins the coveted Best Independent Artist), a nattily dressed Dan Sultan uses the royal ?we? when humbly pointing out that there was a lot of love and support behind his second album Get Out While You Can. Number one ?thank you? on Dan’s list is his mum, who watches on from the booth with pride.

Best Independent Dance/Electronica act Midnight Juggernauts eloquently wipe the floor with their opposition, deliver an acceptance speech in French, then solemnly clarify in English that the Parisian spout was a ?controversial opinion?, but one they’re ?happy to support?.

I thought Cloud Control were excellent years ago when I first saw them at The Corner and they transition to a bigger room with polished ease. Backlit by blue-and-white orb lights, they look like stars, and bagging two awards – Breakthrough Artist and Best Independent Album (beating Dan Kelly, Dan Sultan, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Sia and the late Rowland S Howard) – confirms that trajectory. Their strong recommendation that we all listen to co-nominee Richard In Your Mind is duly noted.

John Butler* and his duo accept their Nova-voted Most Popular trophy via video message, while **Kasey Chambers, her old man and their assorted children take home Best Country for their *Lost Music Blues. Scott Dooley, beer in hand, accepts on Ms Chambers? behalf with an impersonation, which includes the phrases, ?I’m number one?, and ?Fuck all youse bitches? – no doubt similar to the speech Ms Conway might have made had she got the nod.

His repartee continues after a brilliant performance by jazz pianist Joe Chindamo*, after which Dools laughs, ?Jesus Christ, the Living End got old?, to an audible audience groan. Parliamentary Secretary for The Arts Rob Hudson’s speech is drowned out by chatter – though there is raucous cheering whenever he mentions ?Melbourne? and ?keeping live music alive? in the same sentence. While he’s up there, he hands over the Perspex rectangle to *Stu Hunter for Best Independent Jazz record. Hunter, to his jazzy credit, pronounces the ownership of such a rectangle, ?very cool.?

Of the Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban nominees I peg Urthboy and I’m pleased to see him rewarded for his album Spitshine. Count Bounce of TZU takes to the podium to pick up the piece for his friend and collaborator.

An illuminated Sally Seltmann* creates a beautiful space away from the disordered chaos with the title track from her third album *Heart That’s Pounding*. It prompts the disgruntled *M+N hipster purportedly in charge of snarky Twitter updates – a running gag throughout the night – to intone, ?I used to call her New Buffalo, then she said she was Sally Seltmann so I’ll just call her New Buffalo.?

General manager of AIR Nick O’Byrne makes a good, inclusive speech, but the burr of disinterested voices around me seem to discount his earnestness, and even drowns out the part where Dools announces his name.

Herald Sun reporter Mikey Cahill accepts Best Single/EP on behalf of Little Red, excitedly remembering when he’d first been played their song in a cab, only to turn off the CD as the track was coming on the radio. ?It’s happening right now!? he beams.

Once Cloud Control have been extracted from a photo shoot to grasp Best Indie Album, M-Phazes* leads a hip-hop medley featuring Muph (from Melbourne’s Muph & Plutonic) and quick flowing local MC Mantra, who faces off with four uniformed drum majors. It was left to *British India to wind things up with half a song thanks to technical difficulties, sending everyone racing for the last Jager bombs before they got kicked out, drunk and deaf, onto Flinders Street.

The winners:

Most Popular Independent Artist (as voted by Nova Listeners)
John Butler Trio

Best Independent Artist
Dan Sultan (Independent/MGM)

Breakthrough Independent Artist
Cloud Control (Ivy League)

Best Independent Album
Cloud Control – Bliss Release (Ivy League)

Best Independent Single/EP
Little Red – ?Rock It? (Liberation)

Best Independent Blues And Roots Album
Dan Sultan – Get Out While You Can (Independent/MGM)

Best Independent Hard Rock Or Punk Album
Parkway Drive – Deep Blue (Resist/Shock)

Best Independent Country Album
Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill And The Little Hillbillies – Lost Music Blues (Liberation)

Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album
Urthboy – Spitshine (Elefant Traks/Inertia)

Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album
Midnight Juggernauts – The Crystal Axis (Siberia/Inertia)

Best Independent Jazz Album
Stu Hunter – The Gathering (Vitamin)