“Victorian music is so special and something to be celebrated not just tonight, but year round.”
Cable Ties / Immy Owusu / Julia Jacklin (Supplied)
Music Victoria have crowned the winners of the 2023 Music Victoria Awards, with the ceremony going down tonight (October 31) at Naarm/Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Alongside this year’s Hall Of Fame inductees – Kirsty Rivers (former Head Of Music for Creative Australia) and Mutti Mutti songwriter/activist Kutcha Edwards – Cable Ties were the night’s biggest winners, taking home two awards: Best Rock Or Punk Work for their recent third album, All Her Plans (which arrived back in June via Poison City), and the all-encompassing Best Group award.
Other notable winners included Charlie Needs Braces (who took home the Archie Roach Foundation Award For Emerging Talent, open exclusively to First Nations artists), Katie Dey (winner of the Arts Access Victoria Amplify Award, open to deaf and disabled artists), and the duo of Origami and Wang Zheng-Ting (who together took out the MAV Diasporas Award, open to culturally and linguistically diverse entrants).
Elsewhere on the night, Immy Owusu was crowned Best Musician, and Gab Strum (aka Japanese Wallpaper) was crowned Best Producer. As for the other genre-based awards, Damon Smith earned the trophy for Best Blues Work, while Matt Joe Gow won the corresponding gong for country, Close Counters for electronic, Maria Moles for experimental and avant-garde, Lucy Wise for folk, ISUA for heavy, Agung Mango for hip-hop, Joshua Moshe for jazz, Daine for pop, Killah Keys for reggae and dancehall, and Bumpy for soul, funk, R&B and gospel.
In the publicly voted categories, Julia Jacklin’s Love, Try Not To Let Go took out the award for Best Song Or Track, while Cash Savage And The Last Drinks’ So This Is Love won Best Album. Jen Cloher was named Best Solo Artist, Cara Murphy was named Best DJ, and Watty Thompson was named Best Regional Act.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
In a press statement, Music Victoria CEO Simone Schinkel said of this year’s honours: “Congratulations to the 2023 nominees, and of course, our winners! Victorian music is so special and something to be celebrated not just tonight, but year round. Our artists, venues, festivals and industry are pushing creative bounds, working collaboratively and rethinking the wheel, and we're so excited to see what the future holds.”
See the full list of winners from the 2023 Music Victoria Awards below.
Charlie Needs Braces – WINNER
Jada Weazel
Kiwat Kennell
Miss Kaninna
Pirritu
Artemis Muñoz
BATTS
Jimmy from Thornbury
Katie Dey – WINNER
Mathilde Anne
Black Jesus Experience
Don Glori
Mitch Tambo
Origami with Wang Zheng-Ting – WINNER
The Cloud Maker
Damon Smith – WINNER
Eddie Ink
Nigel Wearne
Paul Buchanan’s Voodoo Preachers
The Teskey Brothers
Charlotte Le Lievre
De Porsal
Henry Wagons
Matt Joe Gow – WINNER
Nathan Seeckts
Close Counters – WINNER
Lastlings
Memphis LK
The Oddness
Tim Shiel
Aviva Endean
Fia Fiell
Maria Moles – WINNER
Patrick Hartono
R. Rebeiro
Dandelion Wine
Folk Bitch Trio
Katankin
Leah Senior
Lucy Wise – WINNER
DEAD
FACELESS BURIAL
GELD
ISUA – WINNER
The Maggie Pills
Agung Mango – WINNER
Strictly D.T
Teether & Kuya Neil
VOLDY
Yung Shōgun
Don Glori
Fran Swinn
Joshua Moshe – WINNER
Nat Bartsch
The Rookies
Daine – WINNER
Mia Wray
Mitch Tambo
Monnie
Telenova
ALETHIA
Crown Heights
JahWise
Killah Keys – WINNER
Melbourne Ska Orchestra
Cable Ties – WINNER
Cash Savage And The Last Drinks
CIVIC
CLAMM
RVG
30/70
Bumpy – WINNER
Forest Claudette
Mo’Ju
Surprise Chef
Anna Laverty
Candice Lorrae
Gab Strum – WINNER
Lucy Blomkamp
Simon Lam
Daniel Farrugia
Immy Owusu – WINNER
Jen Sholakis
Joshua Moshe
Sam Teskey
Forest Claudette – Mess Around (feat. EARTHGANG)
Julia Jacklin – Love, Try Not To Let Go – WINNER
Miss Kaninna – Blak Britney
NO ZU – Liquid Love
RVG – Nothing Really Changes
Cable Ties – All Her Plans
Cash Savage And The Last Drinks – So This Is Love – WINNER
Jen Cloher – I Am The River, The River Is Me
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE
Teether and Kuya Neil – STRESSOR
Adalita
Forest Claudette
Gena Rose Bruce
Jen Cloher – WINNER
Sarah Mary Chadwick
CAITY WATSØN
Cara Murphy – WINNER
Moopie
Rakhi
Uone
Cable Ties – WINNER
Folk Bitch Trio
Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Tim Shiel
RVG
Surprise Chef
Bones and Jones
Coda Chroma
Immy Owusu
Leah Senior
Watty Thompson – WINNER
Brunswick Music Festival (Wurundjeri)
Leaps and Bounds Music Festival (Wurundjeri)
Melbourne International Jazz Festival (Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung)
RISING Melbourne (Kulin Nation) – WINNER
YIRRAMBOI Festival including The Archie Roach Block Party (Wurundjeri)
Boogie – Tallarook (Taungurung)
Esoteric Festival – Donald (Dja Dja Wurrung)
OK Motels – Charlton (Dja Dja Wurrung)
Port Fairy Folk Festival (Gunditjmara) – WINNER
Winter Sounds – Daylesford (Dja Dja Wurrung)
Forum Melbourne (Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung) – WINNER
Melbourne Recital Centre (Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung)
Northcote Theatre (Wurundjeri)
Palais Theatre – St Kilda (Boonwurrung)
The Corner Hotel – Richmond (Wurundjeri)
Brunswick Ballroom (Wurundjeri) – WINNER
Northcote Social Club (Wurundjeri)
Shotkickers – Thornbury (Wurundjeri)
The Gem – Collingwood (Wurundjeri)
The Night Cat – Fitzroy (Wurundjeri)
Meeniyan Town Hall – South Gippsland (Bunurong) – WINNER
The Minerva Ballaarat (Wadawurrung)
The Blues Train – Bellarine Peninsula (Wadawurrung)
Trash Cult – Bendigo (Dja Dja Wurrung)
The Vine Hotel – Wangaratta (Bpangerang)
Caravan Music Club – Archies Creek (Boonwurrung) – WINNER
Palais – Hepburn (Dja Dja Wurrung)
The Barwon Club Hotel – Geelong (Wadawurrung)
The Bridge Hotel – Castlemaine (Dja Dja Wurrung)
Volta – Ballarat (Wadawurrung)