A.B. Original reign supreme at the 11th annual AIR Awards

Last night saw the 11th annual AIR Awards handed out in Adelaide, with A.B. Original dominating the ceremony, accepting five awards throughout the ceremony.

A.B. Original were far and away the most successful act of the night, winning every one of the five awards they were nominated for, including Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year (Presented by PPCA), Best Independent Hip Hop Album, Best Independent Single, Best Independent Artist, and Best Independent Album or EP. The duo, consisting of Briggs and Trials, also opened proceedings for the night with a blistering version of ‘Dead In A Minute’.

The award for Best Independent Label went to Pieater, while Violent Soho took out the award for Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy, or Punk Album with WACO. Nick Murphy also received his third AIR award, but his first since dropping the Chet Faker persona. Murphy took out the Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single award with his killer track ‘Stop Me (Stop You)’.

friendships received the award for Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album with Nullabor 1988-1989, while Julia Jacklin took home the ward for Best Independent Blues and Roots Album thanks to her album Don’t Let The Kids Win.

AIR GM, Maria Amato commented “It was great to see the Industry turn out in droves to celebrate the
success of the Independent sector at the 11th AIR Awards in Adelaide. So proud of the collaborations with the South Australian Government and our supporting partners that helped us make this all happen and delighted that our first ever Indie-Con Conference was SOLD out.”

Check out A.B. Original’s ‘January 26’, winner of the Best Independent Single award, and check out the full list of winners below.

2017 AIR Independent Music Awards winners 2017

Best Independent Label

Pieater

Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year Presented By PPCA

A.B. Original (Golden Era Records)

Best Independent Artist

A.B. Original (Golden Era Records)

Best Independent Single

A.B. Original – ‘January 26 Feat. Dan Sultan’ (Golden Era Records)

Best Independent Album Or EP

A.B. Original – Reclaim Australia (Golden Era Records)

Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy Or Punk Album

Violent Soho – WACO (I OH YOU)

Best Independent Dance, Electronica Or Club Single

Nick Murphy – ‘Stop Me (Stop You)’ (Future Classic)

Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album

friendships – Nullabor 1988-1989 (Dot Dash/Remote Control)

Best Independent Hip Hop Album

A. B. Original – Reclaim Australia (Golden Era Records)

Best Independent Blues And Roots Album

Julia Jacklin – Don’t Let The Kids Win (Liberation Music)

Best Independent Country Album

Henry Wagons – After What I Did Last Night (ABC Music)

Best Independent Jazz Album

James Morrison & Don Burrows – In Good Company (ABC Jazz)

Best Independent Classical Album

Slava Grigoryan – Bach Cello Suites Vol 1 (ABC Classics)

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