The biggest winners at this year's ARIA Awards come from different ends of the country and sound nothing alike, except maybe in singing styles more diffident than arrogant. However, between them they have owned 2015.
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Tame Impala and Courtney Barnett left Sydney's Star casino on Thursday with nine bits of pointy silverware between them, including album of the year and best female artist, respectively. It was a fitting end to 11 months where they appeared on more high-rating American shows and sold-out European festivals than we've had prime ministers in office, made best-of-the-year lists everywhere, and earned rave reviews internationally that came with almost no references to kangaroos, shrimps and ageing comedians. And all this without a single shared moment with the cultural force that is Taylor Swift.
Along the way to the peak prizes at the ARIAs, in the manner of triumphant Roman generals returning from conquering foreign lands, they were garlanded aplenty. Perth's Tame Impala's third album, the psychedelia-with-danceable-bits Currents, was named both best rock album and album of the year, having already earned main man Kevin Parker twin gongs of producer and engineer of the year.
The Melbourne-based, former Sydney and Tasmania resident, Barnett also carried away best independent release, best cover art and breakthrough artist. All for her Oxford comma-enhanced debut album of laconically delivered but minutely observed rock songs, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
While talking titles, it's worth noting that Tame Impala, the band, in the studio is exclusively Kevin Parker the man, given he writes, plays, sings and records everything. Conversely, Courtney Barnett, the woman – whose work incidentally is released on Milk!, the wholly independent label she runs with her partner, songwriter Jen Cloher – is effectively Courtney Barnett the band thanks to the symbiotic relationship the brilliant singer/songwriter has with bass player Andrew "Bones" Sloane and drummer Dave Mudie.
More obviously solo, and more obviously in the orbit of Swift, is Vance Joy who has ridden the wave of his international hit single, Riptide, and his debut album, Dream Your Life Away, to the crest of best male artist.
The shy and quiet Joy, whose real name is James Keogh, has spent some of this year on the road in the USA with Swift, will open for her on the Australian tour and probably is too polite to say that he is tired of answering questions about the American superstar and about Riptide, which was released almost two years ago. On that front he may be able to offer advice to another young singer/songwriter endorsed by Swift, via her friend Ed Sheeran, in Conrad Sewell.
Start Again, the early career highlight for the Los Angeles-based Sewell – who apparently luxuriates in the full name of Conrad Ignatius Mario Maximilian Sewell – was named song of the year and looks like being as ubiquitous as Riptide, here and internationally.
While a mood of shared good feeling and bonhomie filled the air of the casino's prosaically named Event Centre, there was also the slight tang of revenge to be sniffed on the southerly buster breeze. Sam Moran, booted out of the Wiggles three years ago to accommodate the return of original singer Greg Page, beat his former partners to an award they have dominated for decades – best children's album.
You might even say there was something appropriately Swiftian in the inadvertently schadenfreude-heavy title of Moran's winner, Play Along With Sam: Boo!
ARIA Awards winners 2015
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Tame Impala - Currents
SONG OF THE YEAR
Conrad Sewell - Start Again
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Courtney Barnett
HALL OF FAME
Tina Arena
BEST MALE ARTIST
Vance Joy
BEST FEMALE ARTIST
Courtney Barnett
BEST GROUP
Tame Impala
BEST URBAN ALBUM
Seth Sentry – Strange New Past
BEST ROCK ALBUM
Tame Impala -– Currents
BEST POP RELEASE
Jarryd James – Do You Remember
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Shane Nicholson – Hell Breaks Loose
BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
BEST DANCE RELEASE
Rufus – You Were Right
BEST HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL ALBUM
Northlane – Node
BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
Oh Mercy – When We Talk About Love
BEST BLUES AND ROOTS ALBUM
C.W. Stoneking – Gon' Boogaloo
BEST LIVE AUSTRALIAN ACT
5 Seconds Of Summer – Rock Out With Your Socks Out tour
BEST CHILDREN'S ALBUM
Sam Moran – Play Along With Sam: Boo!
BEST COMEDY RELEASE
Matt Okine – Live At The Enmore
BEST VIDEO
The Veronicas/Matt Sharp and Daniel James – You Ruin Me
BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST
One Direction
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Lee Kernaghan – Spirit Of The ANZACS
DIAMOND AWARD (for sales in excess of half a million)
Ed Sheeran
Matt Okine uses speech to make a 'serious' point
The winner of the ARIA Award for best comedy release has taken a more serious tone to his acceptance speech, highlighting the lack of woman in his category.
Triple J breakfast co-host Matt Okine has gained wide praised across social media for making the statement on Thursday, after beating four other male contenders.
He highlighted the absence of women nominated for the same award, something he found unacceptable.
"I didn't feel great reading that list of people," Okine told the audience at The Star Casino in Sydney.
The speech was cut from the broadcast on Channel Ten along with award presentations for a number of other categories.
Okine later told reporters: "People might say that's something you would say for attention, but I feel like, 'what should I do, just be passive?'
"A lot of guys my age think you're doing enough by not doing anything bad."
The speech attracted applause at the annual music awards and on social media.
"Congrats Matt Okine and well said," former ABC broadcaster Adam Spencer tweeted.
KLP wrote: "great speech. Would be even greater if it wasn't so uncommon for a guy to talk about the subject. Bug [sic] ups Okine!"
While Anna Dooley thanked Okine "from a future female comic".
- Fairfax Media, AAP
'I'm not trying to be rude': Tina Arena lashes out
Tina Arena was doing it for sisters of a certain age during her ARIA Hall of Fame acceptance speech on Thursday.
"I want to still acknowledge that ladies over 40 are still in the game," she added, name checking Kylie Madonna, J. Lo and Annie Lennox.
"Keep doing what you're doing, ladies, because we will decide when it's time for us to stop.
"I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just trying to make the most of it."
In a wide ranging speech, Arena implored commercial radio to play Australian music.
"I do believe radio has been a bit ageist," she later told reporters. "Who decides in radio a woman at a certain point in her life is not valuable?
"Why is about our age and looks? There's a big difference between a woman on her 20s and a woman in her 40s who has lived her life. "You need to be proud of your age."
The speech came after a performance of Arena's hit Chains by Brisbane sisters The Veronicas, Jessica Mauboy and "Tiny Tina" herself.
Kylie Minogue then came out to induct Arena into the hall of fame, thanking the singer, from both her and her family, for looking after her sister Dannii when they were both on Teen Talent Time - the show that launched Arena's career.
The trophy was presented to Arena by 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans for whose win Arena sang Advance Australia Fair.
"I'm okay, just like I've ridden for the Tour de France," she told Evans on stage, when asked how she was feeling.
Arena thanked her parents and siblings, partner Vincent and her son, Gabriel, whom she joked should go to bed soon.
Boasting a 40-year singing career, Arena has six ARIA awards including female artist of the year.
She got her start aged eight on Young Talent Time, which she credited for getting her where she is today.
During her acceptance speech, the singer spoke of a career high playing at the Sydney Olympics and being the first woman to win the ARIA album of the year.
She also made mention of her early raunchy clip for her 1990 single, I Need Your Body.
"That outfit those lips and those boobs they all had a life of their own and they still do," she said, touching her body in her plunging black catsuit.
Arena thanked her former home of France but saved her last thanks for Australia. "Thank you for not making me a celebrity but thank you for celebrating my work because that is where I am most comfortable," she said.
Arena joins Molly Meldrum, Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton John and INXS in the hall of fame.
- Fairfax Media, AAP