Baker Boy wins big at the 2018 Age Music Victoria Awards

Baker Boy is undoubtedly on ‘Cloud 9’ right now, having emerged as the big winner of the 2018 Age Music Victoria Awards.

Taking place at the gorgeous Melbourne Recital Centre, the 13th edition of The Age Music Victoria Awards saw some of the state’s most prominent musicians and industry figures coming together to celebrate all of the wonderful music to come out of Victoria over the last year.

Hosted by Chris Gill and Lyndelle Wilkinson of co-presenting partners RRR 102.7FM and PBS 106.7FM, the evening kicked off with the presentation of the industry-voted awards, including categories such as Best Festival, Best Global Act, Best Albums by genre, and the Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent – which was taken home by none other than Kaiit.

While Baker Boy was up and down numerous times in the evening (eventually winning a total of four awards), Sampa The Great and Courtney Barnett were the other multiple winners of the night, taking home two and three awards, respectively.

Of course, the evening wasn’t just about handing out the coveted statues, with the likes of Mildlife, Evelyn Ida Morris, Baker Boy, Angie McMahon, and Sampa The Great delivering some stunning performances for the evening’s crowd.

Arguably the evening’s most emotional point was the annual Hall of Fame inductions. While Molly Meldrum received his early induction last month, it was the inclusion of late Divinyls singer Chrissy Amphlett that received the biggest applause.

Presented in part by Amphlett’s cousin, Little Pattie, the iconic Aussie rocker’s life and legacy was explored in detail, examining the influence that she left on this country’s music scene, and the impact she had on younger musicians today.

Following heartfelt comments by Chrissy Amphlett’s nephew, the evening was wrapped up with a stellar performance of ‘Boys In Town’, by Ella Hooper and Dallas Frasca, who proved that Amphlett’s legacy will live on for decades to come.

Photo by Martin Philbey

Check out the 2018 Age Music Victoria Awards Winners:

PUBLIC-VOTED WINNERS
The Premier’s Prize for the Best Victorian Album of 2018 – $10,000 Cash Prize
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel

Best Band
Camp Cope

Best Song
Baker Boy – Marryuna

Best Solo Artist
Courtney Barnett

Best Male Musician
Danzal Baker (Baker Boy)

Best Female Musician
Courtney Barnett

The Premier’s Prize for the Best Victorian Breakthrough Act of 2018 – $5000 Cash Prize
Baker Boy

Best Live Act
Baker Boy

Best Small Venue (under 500 capacity)
Northcote Social Club, Northcote

Best Large Venue (over 500 capacity)
Corner Hotel, Richmond

INDUSTRY-VOTED WINNERS
Best Festival
Golden Plains

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Act
Bendigo Bank $3,000
This Way North

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Over 50 gigs per year)
Bendigo Bank $3,000
Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Under 50 gigs per year)
Bendigo Bank $3,000
Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan

Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent
Kaiit

Best Blues Album
Collard Greens And Gravy – Luedella

Best Country Album
James Ellis & The Jealous Guys – It Ain’t Texas (But It Ain’t Bad)

Best Electronic Act
Mildlife

Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Act
Nat Grant

Best Folk or Roots Album
Michael Waugh – The Asphalt & The Oval

Best Global Act
Senegambian Jazz Band

Best Heavy Album
Encircling Sea – Hearken

Best Hip Hop Act
Sampa The Great

Best Jazz Album
Sam Anning – Across A Field As Vast As One

Best Reggae and Dancehall Act
Monkey Marc

Best Rock/Punk Album
Little Ugly Girls – Little Ugly Girls

Best Soul, Funk, RnB Album
Sampa The Great – Birds and The BEE9

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Molly Meldrum and Chrissy Amphlett

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.