Laura Semple

The state’s finest artists, venues and festivals have been recognised at the 2024 Music Victoria Awards in a star-studded ceremony at Fed Square. Australian youth music organisation The Push was formally inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame alongside multi-instrumentalist, composer and sound designer Ollie Olsen who was sadly posthumously inducted following his devastating passing.

The 2024 Music Victoria Awards included industry-voted categories such as Arts Access Victoria Amplify Award which was awarded to Saint Ergo plus the Diaspora Award taken home by Wild Gloriosa. Yorta Yorta guitarist, songwriter and rock legend Uncle Selwyn Burns was awarded the inaugural Footprint Award. This was followed by a performance by his son Tjimba Possum Burns, alongside Allara, D-Boy and Archie Roach’s son Amos.

No single artist took home more than one award at this year’s event – the standout instead being the exceptionally high quality of music being made by all recipients. Publicly voted categories revealed Gregor as Best Album winner for “Satanic Lullabies”, RVG as Best Group, Audrey Powne as Best Solo Artist and ZÖJ as winner of Best Regional Act. Meanwhile, Good Morning were awarded Best Track for “Excalibur” and DJ PGZ picked up Best DJ.

The list of winners continued with Opelousas (Best Blues Work), Hana & Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits (Best Country Work), Hybrid Man (Best Electronic Work), Hand to Earth (Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Work), Evan & Mischa (Best Folk Work), Pizza Death (Best Heavy Work),  Michelle Nicolle (Best Jazz Work), Gretta Ray (Best Pop Work), FLY BOY JACK (Best Hip Hop Work), JahWise (Best Reggae or Dancehall Work), The Belair Lip Bombs (Best Rock or Punk Work), Tekoa (Best Soul, Funk, R’n’B or Gospel Work), Lauren Coutts (Best Producer) and Cheryl Durongpisitkul (Best Musician).

Venue categories featured winners including Corner Hotel (Best Large Metro Venue), St Kilda Festival (Best Metro Festival), NYE On The Hill (Best Regional Festival), Torquay Hotel (Best Regional Venue Over 50 Gigs), The Sound Doctor (Best Regional Venue Under 50 Gigs) and Northcote Social Club (Best Small Metro Venue).

“It is inspiring to reflect on a Music Victoria Award’s impact on our artists, venues, and festivals” says Simone Schinkel, Music Victoria’s CEO.  “Previous winners have often shared how these honours elevate visibility and recognition, and this year’s nominees and recipients are worthy of it all.

“Beyond this celebration, Music Victoria’s year-round work on behalf of our members continues – maintaining our unwavering focus on ensuring that local music is valued, accessible and enjoyed by all Victorians”.

The 2024 Music Victoria Award winners are a testament to the incredibly diverse music culture in Victoria. Once again the prestigious Fed Square ceremony allows this industrious community to pause and recognise our state’s outstanding talent and relentless hard work behind the scenes.

You can see the full list of 2024 winners here.

Wild Gloriosa (Photo: SDP Media)

DJ PGZ and Guest (Photo: SDP Media)

Cash Savage (Photo: SDP Media)

Simone Schinkel, Music Victoria CEO (Photo: SDP Media)

The Push, Hall of Fame Inductee (CEO Kate Duncan and Founder Linda Carroll) with Jaddan Comerford (Photo: SDP Media)

Uncle Selwyn Burns (Photo: SDP Media)

Music Victoria Awards 2024 Nominees and Winners

BEST MUSICIAN presented by JMC Academy
•    Cheryl Durongpisitkul
•    Erica Tucceri
•    Hudson Whitlock
•    Lewis Coleman
•    Lucky Pereira

BEST PRODUCER presented by AON
•    Bonnie Knight
•    Lauren Coutts
•    Nao Anzai
•    Ninajirachi
•    Theo Carbo

AMPLIFY AWARD presented by Arts Access Victoria
•    Among The Restless
•    Magdalia
•    Naavikaran
•    R.em.edy
•    Saint Ergo

DIASPORA AWARD
•    Amaru Tribe
•    Hand to Earth
•    Jarabi Band
•    Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen
•    Wild Gloriosa
BEST BLUES WORK presented by The Blues Train
•    Checkerboard Lounge
•    Lloyd Spiegel
•    Nigel Wearne
•    Opelousas
•    The McNaMarr Project

BEST COUNTRY WORK
•    Hana & Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits
•    Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields
•    Patrick Wilson
•    Sweet Talk
•    The Counterfeit

BEST ELECTRONIC WORK
•    Hybrid Man
•    Ninajirachi
•    Simona Castricum
•    Smilk
•    Spoonbill

BEST EXPERIMENTAL OR AVANT-GARDE WORK
•    Duré Dara and Speak Percussion
•    Hand to Earth 
•    Hantu
•    Monica Lim
•    Panghalina

BEST FOLK WORK
•    Ernest Aines
•    Evan & Mischa
•    Lucy Wise
•    Mickey & Michelle
•    The Bashevis Singers

BEST HEAVY WORK
•    Diploid
•    Pizza Death
•    Religious Observance
•    Suldusk
•    The Incantus

BEST HIP HOP WORK
•    Baraka the Kid
•    FLY BOY JACK
•    MAMMOTH. & Eric Spice
•    Srirachi
•    Yung Shōgun

BEST JAZZ WORK
•    Finn Rees
•    Helen Svoboda
•    James Sherlock Trio
•    Michelle Nicolle
•    Vanessa Perica Orchestra

BEST POP WORK
•    Blusher
•    Gretta Ray
•    G Flip
•    The Cat Empire
•    Tones and I

BEST REGGAE OR DANCEHALL WORK
•    JahWise
•    Killah Keys
•    Melbourne Ska Orchestra
•    Rick Howe
•    Shottaz

BEST ROCK OR PUNK WORK
•    Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice
•    ENOLA
•    Porpoise Spit
•    The Belair Lip Bombs
•    The Vovos

BEST SOUL, FUNK, RNB OR GOSPEL WORK
•    EMEREE
•    Emma Volard
•    Mildlife
•    Squid Nebula
•    Tekoa

BEST METRO FESTIVAL presented by Brick Lane Brewing
•    Flippin’ the Bird – Frankston (Bunurong)
•    LuliePalooza – Abbotsford (Wurundjeri)
•    Melbourne International Jazz Festival (Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung)
•    St Kilda Festival (Boon Wurrung)
•    Yo CiTY CONNECT: AFRO-FUTURE – Abbotsford (Wurundjeri)

BEST REGIONAL FESTIVAL presented by Brick Lane Brewing
•    Beyond the Valley – Golden Plains (Wadawurrung)
•    Loch Hart Music Festival (Kirrae Whurrung)
•    NYE On The Hill Bass Coast (Bunurong)
•    Port Fairy Folk Festival (Gunditjmara)
•    Queenscliff Music Festival (Wadawurrung)

BEST LARGE VENUE (Metro) presented by Oztix
•    Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre (Wurundjeri and Bunurong)
•    Forum Melbourne (Wurundjeri and Bunurong)
•    Northcote Theatre (Wurundjeri)
•    Palais Theatre – St Kilda (Bunurong)
•    Corner Hotel – Richmond (Wurundjeri)

BEST SMALL VENUE (Metro) presented by Oztix
•    Northcote Social Club (Wurundjeri)
•    MOTH – Mornington Peninsula (Bunurong)
•    Kindred Bandroom – Footscray (Wurundjeri)
•    Lulie Tavern – Collingwood (Wurundjeri)
•    The JazzLab – Brunswick (Wurundjeri)

BEST REGIONAL VENUE OR PRESENTER (Over 50 Gigs) presented by Oztix
•    The Barwon Club Hotel – Geelong (Wadawurrung)
•    The Bridge Hotel – Castlemaine (Dja Dja Wurrung)
•    The Coolroom at the Northern Arts Hotel – Castlemaine (Dja Dja Wurrung)
•    Torquay Hotel – (Wadawarrung)
•    Volta – Ballarat (Wadawurrung)

BEST REGIONAL VENUE OR PRESENTER (Under 50 gigs) presented by Oztix
•    The Blues Train – Bellarine Peninsula (Wadawurrung)
•    Meeniyan Town Hall – South Gippsland (Bunurong)
•    The Sound Doctor  – Anglesea (Wadawurrung)
•    The Gallery of Good – Trafalgar (Gunaikurnai)
•    OK Motels – Charlton (Dja Dja Wurrung), Ballarat (Wadawurrung), Shepparton (Yorta Yorta)

BEST SONG OR TRACK presented by PBS
•    DRMNGNOW – Ngarwu
•    Good Morning – Excalibur
•    Jess Ribeiro – Summer of Love
•    Kaiit – Space
•    Miss Kaninna – Pinnacle Bitch

BEST ALBUM presented by Triple R
•    Angie McMahon – Light, Dark, Light Again
•    Gregor – Satanic Lullabies
•    G Flip – DRUMMER
•    The Belair Lip Bombs – Lush Life
•    The Vovos – Lilla Gubben

BEST SOLO ARTIST presented by Triple R
•    Audrey Powne
•    G Flip
•    Lucy Wise
•    Maple Glider
•    Simona Castricum

BEST DJ presented by City of Melbourne
•    Aldonna
•    DJ PGZ 
•    IN2STELLAR
•    Ninajirachi
•    Tinika

BEST GROUP presented by PBS
•    Cool Sounds
•    Gut Health
•    Hiatus Kaiyote
•    Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen
•    RVG

BEST REGIONAL ACT presented by Pullman Melbourne on the Park
•    Baraka The Kid
•    Eliza Hull
•    Juno Mamba
•    Leah Senior
•    ZÖJ