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