New Live Act category added to Gold Coast Music Awards as nominations open

The 4th Gold Coast Music Awards announced a new Live Act of the Year category to highlight the region’s talents, as nominations opened.

It will focus on original acts that consistently perform to a high standard.

“The live scene on the Coast is buoyant at the moment,” awards co-founder Chloe Popa tells TMN.

“There are new venues opening, they’re quite diverse, and the activities around this year’s Commonwealth Games are also providing a lot of live music opportunities.”

The rise and rise of Amy Shark too has injected an excitement in the scene and provided a model for other acts.

Shark has been recognised by the awards from their beginning. Last year she took out the artist and song categories.

The VIP marquee which allows the public, sold out its 400 tickets, and a free beach show by Shark and the Hanlon Brothers drew 5000.

For the last two years, the awards have also held a Gold Coast event at BIGSOUND, increasing national music industry and media attention.

One of the 2017 showcasing acts, Eliza & The Delusionals, went on to open for Grinspoon’stour dates.

The new Live category, sponsored by the NightQuarter venue, brings the total number of categories to eight, all judged by an independent panel of music industry figures.

In 2017, the awards drew a total of 137 nominations, with 24 alone for the new Album of the Year category.

Popa expects this year’s total to rise to 175, with the additional incentive for live acts.

The other six categories are Artist of the Year, Breakout artist of the Year, Event of the Year, Song of the Year, Venue of the Year and Video of the Year.

Nominations close on March 2, with the winners announced on Thursday May 3 at an event on the beach at Surfers Paradise on the day before the three-day Surfers Paradise LIVE festival.

Performing will be Bobby Alu, Hussy Hicks, Electrik Lemonade and Eliza & The Delusionals.

The first Gold Coast Music Awards were held at Burleigh Brewing and drew 350 people.

A partnership with the Surfers Paradise Alliance saw them move to the beachfront as part of a deal until 2020, which helped increase production values.

Surfers Paradise Alliance CEO Mike Winlaw said the initial three-year partnership reflected SPA’s dedication to the local Gold Coast music industry.

“Gold Coast Music Awards recognise and foster aspiring local artists, so teaming up with them is the perfect alignment for both organisations,” he said.

The awards have gained national attention for other Gold Coast acts like Bleeding Knees Club, Karl S Williams, Casey Barnes, Jesswar, PACES, Lane Harry x Ike Cambpell, Tesla Coils, Jason McGregor, Being Jane Lane, Ella Fence, Double Deuce and Leopold’s Treat.

This year’s partners and sponsors include the City of Gold Coast, Oztix, Burleigh Brewing Company, Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium, Shark Bar, QT Gold Coast, TAFE Queensland, Fisherman’s Wharf Tavern, Pinnacle Engineering Group, Blank Gold Coast and 91.7 ABC Gold Coast.

Nominations are now open at the Gold Coast Music Awards Official Website.