The 2014 Independent Music Awards have wrapped up their ninth year delivering a superbly entertaining evening handing out 14 awards to some of Australia’s finest talent, including multiple award winners Violent Soho, international breakthrough artists Courtney Barnett and Sheppard, and first time nominee Remi, all taking out awards.
The hotly contested Best Independent Artist award went to talented singer songwriter Courtney Barnett, who also won the Best Independent Single/EP award for her single ‘Avant Gardener’.
Phenomenal local and international success has followed the single’s release, and has seen Courtney not only playing some of the world’s biggest music festivals but also performing on high profile US TV talk show, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
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Remi’s extraordinary breakout year continued as he not only took out the award for Best Independent Hip Hop Album for his brilliant sophomore release ‘Raw X Infinity’, but was also the lucky recipient of the Carlton Dry Global Music Grant.
With burgeoning international interest, and many critics calling him the new global voice of Australian hip hop, the $50,000 prize money, which is specifically designed to help musicians boost their profile overseas, will help fund his forthcoming European and US touring commitments over the next few months.
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Awarded to emerging independent artists, the prize money must be used exclusively to help tour, showcase, record, or relocate overseas to further their careers.
Violent Soho walked away winners in two categories, picking up key awards for their critically acclaimed album ‘Hungry Ghost’, which was acknowledged by the industry as the Best Independent Album, and also the Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album. Adding a refined nuance and subtlety to their armoury with this, their third album, ‘Hungry Ghost’ is Violent Soho’s most powerful offering to date.
Brisbane hit makers Sheppard were presented the award for this year’s Breakthrough Independent Artist. Their meteoric rise both locally and internationally over the past 12 months follows on from the release of their single ‘Geronimo’, which has reached an astonishing 4 x Platinum status, and gone on to become one of the highest selling Australian singles of the year.
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RÜFÜS were awarded Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album for their debut album release ‘Atlas’. Filled with indie-dance rhythms, darker housey stylings and a heap of anthems, the success of the debut album from the Sydney three-piece proved their credible and accessible dance music deserved the praise it received.
Best Independent Dance/Electronica or Club Single went to Peking Duk for their hit single ‘High’. Commandeering airwaves and dance floors alike, Peking Duk soared to the top of the charts with their massive double platinum single ‘High’ which featured vocalist Nicole Millar.
In an award voted for by their Record Label peers, I OH YOU were acknowledged as the Best Independent Label. The cutting edge label boasts some of Australia’s best young talent including DMA’s, Bleeding Knees Club, City Calm Down, DZ Deathrays and the 2014 dual award winning Violent Soho.
The Award for the Best Independent Blues and Roots Album went to dynamic blues rocker Dan Sultan for his third full-length studio album, ‘Blackbird’. Recorded with award-winning producer Jacquire King in the Nashville studio whose name it bears, ‘Blackbird’, is a smouldering yet tender blues-tinged rock affair that resonated with critics and audiences alike.
Independent Music Awards 2014 Winners
Carlton Dry Global Music Grant Winner – Remi
Best Independent Artist – Courtney Barnett
Best Independent Album, presented by Rdio – Violent Soho – Hungry Ghost
Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year, presented by PPCA – Sheppard
Best Independent Single/EP, presented by Levi’s – Courtney Barnett – Avant Gardener
Best Independent Label – I OH YOU
Best Independent Hip Hop Album – Remi – Raw x Infinity
Best Independent Country Album – Halfway – Any Old Love
Best Independent Blues And Roots Album – Dan Sultan – Blackbird
Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album – Violent Soho – Hungry Ghost
Best Independent Jazz Album – Paul Grabowsky Sextet – The Bitter Suite
Best Independent Dance/Electronica or Club Single – Peking Duk – High
Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album – RÜFÜS – Atlas
Best Independent Classical Album – Gurrumul / Sydney Symphony Orchestra – His Life And Music
