Sampa The Great and Amyl and The Sniffers win big at this year’s Music Victoria Awards

Boosting the moral of the local music industry in a time it needs it most.

The star-studded winners of the 16th annual Music Victoria Awards have been revealed, with more than 15 acts nabbing a well-deserved prize following an incredibly gruelling year for artists.

Taking place as part of the Melbourne Music Week Extended program at the Melbourne Recital Centre, the live-streamed event and Channel 31 TV special revealed the seven public-voted winners and 14 industry-voted winners.

This year’s Awards queen is the ineffable Sampa The Great who took home a massive four awards including Best Album, Best Solo Artist, Best Soul, Funk, Gospel or RnB Album and Best Song for her hit single ‘OMG’, and winning a $3000 in cash from APRA AMCOS.

Another big winner of the night includes beloved pub rock trio Amyl and The Sniffers, who took home three awards for Best Band, plus Best Live Act with frontwoman Amy Taylor being crowned Best Musician.

Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal and Badu Island singer-songwriter and rising star Kee’ahn got the recognition she deserved with the coveted Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent as well as a $2000 cash prize from the Foundation; while post-punk outfit Pinch Points were awarded Best Breakthrough Act, along with a $1000 credit for custom made merch from Australia’s leading merch company Sound Merch.

A Forte favourite and three-time previous Awards nominee Lloyd Spiegel took home Best Blues Album for his album Cut and Run, and previous two-time Award nominees Robin Fox and Birdz were named this year’s Best Experimental or Avant-garde Act and Best Hip Hop Act respectively.

Other notable achievements this year include another win from the well-loved sibling band from Warrandyte, The Teskey Brothers, who took out the Best Regional/Outer Suburban Act with a cash prize of $3000 from Bendigo Bank, alongside cathartic punk trio Cable Ties finally claiming their debut Music Victoria Award win for Best Rock/Punk Album for their 2020 record Hope, after four years and eight nominations across almost every eligible category including Best Album, Best Live Act, Best Band, Best Song, and Best Emerging Act. A long-awaited and well-deserved win.

The evening also saw Australian music icon Paul Kelly induct the late, great Chris Wilson into the Music Victoria Hall Of Fame, presenting a touching speech and inviting Chris’ wife Sarah Carroll and sons Fenn Wilson and George Carroll Wilson to the stage to accept the induction. Kim Salmon and Jo Roberts presented fellow Hall of Fame Inductee Mary Mihelakos with her official induction to celebrate her extensive and prolific industry career.

These awards are the follow up to the Industry Awards which honoured our struggling Victorian live music venues back in September. Regional industry veterans – The Barwon Club Hotel, Theatre Royal in Castlemaine and Golden Plains Festival – all took out top awards, honouring them as this year’s best Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue with over 50 gigs per year, Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue with under 50 gigs per year, and best festival.

Other venues honoured include Melbourne based venues The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood and Forum Melbourne for being the best small venue under 500 capacity and the best large venue over 500 capacity, while Sarah Hamilton was named the inaugural winner of the Outstanding Woman In Music Award for her incredible work with One of One alongside Joanna Cameron (Co-Founder) and Ellen Kirk (Director).

These awards are a testament to the strength of the Victorian music community, a community that we only expect to bolster from here on out. You can watch the award ceremony below.

Check out the full list of winners below:

The public-voted winners

Best Album
Sampa The Great – The Return

Best Band (Prize $2000 voucher from Yamaha)
Amyl and The Sniffers

Best Song (Prize $3000 cash from APRA AMCOS)
Sampa The Great – OMG

Best Solo Artist (Prize $1000 voucher from Yamaha)
Sampa The Great

Best Musician (Prize $1000 voucher from Yamaha)
Amy Taylor (Amyl and The Sniffers)

Best Breakthrough Act (Prize $1000 value in custom made merch from Sound Merch)
Pinch Points

Best Live Act
Amyl and The Sniffers

The industry-voted winners are

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Act (Prize $3000 cash from Bendigo Bank)
The Teskey Brothers (Warrandyte)

Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent (Prize $2000 cash from Archie Roach Foundation)
Kee’ahn

Best Blues Album
Lloyd Spiegel – Cut and Run

Best Country Album
Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife – You Be The Lightning

Best Electronic Act
Sleep D

Best Experimental or Avant-garde Act
Robin Fox

Best Folk Album
Fiona Ross & Shane O’Mara – Sunwise Turn

Best Heavy Album
Diploid – Glorify

Best Hip Hop Act
Birdz

Best Intercultural Act
Black Jesus Experience

Best Jazz Album
Vanessa Perica Orchestra – Love is a Temporary Madness

Best Reggae and Dancehall Act
Dub FX

Best Rock/Punk Album
Cable Ties – Far Enough

Best Soul, Funk, Gospel or RnB Album
Sampa The Great – The Return

Previously announced industry award winners

Best Small Venue (under 500 capacity)
The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood

Best Large Venue (over 500 capacity)
Forum Melbourne

Best Festival
Golden Plains

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Over 50 gigs per year)
Barwon Club Hotel – Geelong

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Under 50 gigs per year)
Theatre Royal – Castlemaine