WELCOME back to the Hill. The happy place. The place of Music Lovers’ Dreams.
The McLaren brothers, Aidan and Rhett, their team and family, have done it again this time winning the 2024 Music Victoria’s Best Regional Festival for NYE On The Hill at this evenings event.
In a star-studded ceremony at Fed Square Music Victoria revealed the winning artists, venues and festivals at the 2024 Music Victoria Awards.
The three-day music festival that is limited to 3000 people on the rolling hills of Krowera will see its 11th event take place over New Years later this year.
"It takes a massive effort to put on festivals, particularly regional ones, everyone in this category puts on great ones from commercial to community. Shoutouts to all the nominees, I know the hardships and what it takes to put them on. Emerging artists are what New Year's Eve is all about and we support Victorian ones and offer first festival opportunities to as many emerging artists as we can of all types," Rhett McLaren, Event Director said in his acceptance speech.
It’s the second award for The Hills Are Alive Group in as many months, with the duo taking home the 2024 Bass Coast Business of the Year Award on August 23.
Alongside the McLaren’s win, 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 last week.
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-Boyand Archie Roach’s son Amos.
In a first in a very long time – no single artist took home more than one award at this year's event. 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," said 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 (full list):
PUBLIC VOTED
BEST SONG OR TRACK presented by PBS
• DRMNGNOW - Ngarwu
• Good Morning - Excalibur - WINNER
• 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 - WINNER
• G Flip - DRUMMER
• The Belair Lip Bombs - Lush Life
• The Vovos - Lilla Gubben
BEST SOLO ARTIST presented by Triple R
• Audrey Powne - WINNER
• G Flip
• Lucy Wise
• Maple Glider
• Simona Castricum
BEST DJ presented by City of Melbourne
• Aldonna
• DJ PGZ - WINNER
• IN2STELLAR
• Ninajirachi
• Tinika
BEST GROUP presented by PBS
• Cool Sounds
• Gut Health
• Hiatus Kaiyote
• Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen
• RVG - WINNER
BEST REGIONAL ACT presented by Pullman Melbourne on the Park
• Baraka The Kid
• Eliza Hull
• Juno Mamba
• Leah Senior
• ZÖJ - WINNER
INDUSTRY VOTED
BEST MUSICIAN presented by JMC Academy
• Cheryl Durongpisitkul - WINNER
• Erica Tucceri
• Hudson Whitlock
• Lewis Coleman
• Lucky Pereira
BEST PRODUCER presented by AON
• Bonnie Knight
• Lauren Coutts - WINNER
• Nao Anzai
• Ninajirachi
• Theo Carbo
AMPLIFY AWARD presented by Arts Access Victoria
• Among The Restless
• Magdalia
• Naavikaran
• R.em.edy
• Saint Ergo - WINNER
DIASPORA AWARD
• Amaru Tribe
• Hand to Earth
• Jarabi Band
• Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Sui Zhen
• Wild Gloriosa - WINNER
BEST BLUES WORK presented by The Blues Train
• Checkerboard Lounge
• Lloyd Spiegel
• Nigel Wearne
• Opelousas - WINNER
• The McNaMarr Project
BEST COUNTRY WORK
• Hana & Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits - WINNER
• Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields
• Patrick Wilson
• Sweet Talk
• The Counterfeit
BEST ELECTRONIC WORK
• Hybrid Man - WINNER
• Ninajirachi
• Simona Castricum
• Smilk
• Spoonbill
BEST EXPERIMENTAL OR AVANT-GARDE WORK
• Duré Dara and Speak Percussion
• Hand to Earth - WINNER
• Hantu
• Monica Lim
• Panghalina
BEST FOLK WORK
• Ernest Aines
• Evan & Mischa - WINNER
• Lucy Wise
• Mickey & Michelle
• The Bashevis Singers
BEST HEAVY WORK
• Diploid
• Pizza Death - WINNER
• Religious Observance
• Suldusk
• The Incantus
BEST HIP HOP WORK
• Baraka the Kid
• FLY BOY JACK - WINNER
• MAMMOTH. & Eric Spice
• Srirachi
• Yung Shōgun
BEST JAZZ WORK
• Finn Rees
• Helen Svoboda
• James Sherlock Trio
• Michelle Nicolle - WINNER
• Vanessa Perica Orchestra
BEST POP WORK
• Blusher
• Gretta Ray - WINNER
• G Flip
• The Cat Empire
• Tones and I
BEST REGGAE OR DANCEHALL WORK
• JahWise - WINNER
• 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 - WINNER
• The Vovos
BEST SOUL, FUNK, RNB OR GOSPEL WORK
• EMEREE
• Emma Volard
• Mildlife
• Squid Nebula
• Tekoa - WINNER
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) - WINNER
• 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) - WINNER
• 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) - WINNER
BEST SMALL VENUE (Metro) presented by Oztix
• Northcote Social Club (Wurundjeri) - WINNER
• 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) - WINNER
• 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) - WINNER
• The Gallery of Good - Trafalgar (Gunaikurnai)
• OK Motels - Charlton (Dja Dja Wurrung), Ballarat (Wadawurrung), Shepparton (Yorta Yorta)
