Boy & Bear and Gotye were the big winners at last night’s ARIA Awards ceremony. Boy & Bear took home five awards for their stunning debut Moonfire, including best album and best group. Gotye scooped four, including male artist of the year and best single for “Somebody That I Used to Know.”
That’s all the stuff you’ll read in all the other media outlets, so I thought I’d much rather talk about the way I saw this year’s awards. Honestly, it was pretty bloody good. Admittedly anything would look like a world class production compared to last year’s shambles, but I was impressed by the way things went off.
I’ve heard criticisms that some of the jokes fell flat, and some of the irreverent spirit of Aussie music was missing. Maybe. But most important for me was that the ceremony had real heart. I found myself genuinely moved at several moments: when Billy Thorpe’s wife and daughters accepted his posthumous ARIA for Tangier, when former Wiggle Greg Page stood with his fellow skivvy wearers as they were inducted into the Hall of Fame, when Delta Goodrem sang “The Day You Went Away” against the backdrop of the images of people the industry has lost, and when Missy Higgins joined Gurrumul for a gorgeous duet. I have no clue what they were singing about but it was the most touching musical number of the night.
For those moments I loved these ARIAs. They reminded us that the night should be about recognising and celebrating the amazing music we make as a country. We punch well above our weight, and we deserve a night that acknowledges that, without bringing in too many international guests or getting too fancy with the staging.
Last night wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. I’m not sure how much Go had to do with the broadcast, but I take my hat off to them for whatever part they played. Even if it was just ensuring these awards stay on free to air, it was important. And how refreshing to see the channel being the youth station it originally set out to be and offering something new rather than the countless Big Bang and Two and a Half Men reruns.
Boy & Bear and Gotye may have taken home the lion’s share of the pointy things, but as clichéd as it sounds, Australian music was the big winner last night. Click below for the other winners!
ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Moonfire by Boy & Bear
SINGLE OF THE YEAR – “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
BEST MALE ARTIST – Gotye
BEST FEMALE ARTIST – Kimbra
BEST GROUP – Boy & Bear
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST (ALBUM) – Moonfire by Boy & Bear
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST (SINGLE) – “Feeding Line” by Boy & Bear
BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE – The Experiment by Art vs Science
BEST ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM – Moonfire by Boy & Bear
BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM – Billy Thorpe’s Tangier by Billy Thorpe
BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM – Sometimes the Stars by The Audreys
BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM – Ukulele Baby! by The Wiggles
BEST COMEDY RELEASE – Celebrating 50 Glorious Years by Hamish & Andy
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM – Little Bird by Kasey Chambers
BEST DANCE RELEASE – Zonoscope by Cut Copy
BEST HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL ALBUM – Ritardando by Front End Loader
BEST POP RELEASE – “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
BEST ROCK ALBUM – The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating by The Living End
BEST URBAN ALBUM – The Life of Riley by Drapht
HIGHEST SELLING ALBUM – Altiyan Childs by Altiyan Childs
HIGHEST SELLING SINGLE – “Who’s that Girl” by Guy Sebastian (featuring Eve)
BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM – Mad Rush: Piano Music of Philip Glass by Sally Whitwell
BEST JAZZ ALBUM – First Seed Ripening by Elixir featuring Katie Noonan
BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK/CAST/SHOW ALBUM – Angry Boys – Official Soundtrack Album by Chris Lilley
BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM – Rrakala by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
BEST MUSIC DVD – AC/DC – Live at River Plate by AC/DC
BEST COVER ART – Zonoscope by Alter, for Cut Copy
BEST VIDEO – “Somebody That I Used to Know” Natasha Pincus for Starkraving Productions, for Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
ENGINEER OF THE YEAR – “Somebody That I Used to Know” Francois Tetaz, for Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR – “Somebody That I Used to Know” Wally De Backer, for Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
2011 PUBLIC VOTED ARIA AWARD WINNERS
MOST POPULAR AUSTRALIAN ARTIST – Birds of Tokyo
MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL ARTIST – P!nk
MOST POPULAR AUSTRALIAN LIVE ARTIST – The Living End