Bluesfest, Frontier Touring Clean Up At Helpmann Awards

There were familiar names in the winner’s circle at last night’s Helpmann Awards with both Bluesfest and Frontier Touring’s Bruce Springsteen recording back-to-back wins.

Held at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, the awards – which claim to represent the best of Australia’s live performance industry – Bluesfest picked up Best Contemporary Music Festival for the second year running, while Springsteen’s 2014 tour won Best International Contemporary Concert. The Amiercan star’s 2013 ‘Wrecking Ball’ tour won the category last year.

"It doesn’t matter how many award ceremonies you attend, you still get the butterflies"

Frontier Touring and Roundhouse Entertainment were also involved in a win for Best Australian Contemporary Concert or Hunters & Collectors.

The winners beat out tours from Flume, Tame Impala, Eddie Vedder, Pink, Beyonce and festivals including Laneway, Falls and Vivid LIVE for the awards.

Bluesfest Director Peter Noble, who is also celebrating a win in the recent North Coast Tourism Awards, said, “It is an incredible honour to receive these accolades for our Silver Jubilee. We were against some really tough competition for the Helpmann Awards including the Vivid Festival – the Australian Event of the Year, the Laneway Festival and our own Falls Festival.

“It is such an amazing feeling, it doesn’t matter how many award ceremonies you attend, you still get the butterflies, I want to thank my whole team, without them this wouldn’t be possible. They say everything comes in threes - for us it comes in fours - ths is our fourth Helpmann win, and the second in a row – as well as our fourth North Coast Tourism Awards win.”

Elsewhere there were multiple wins for the Sydney Theatre Company with Richard Roxburgh taking home Best Male Actor In A Play for Waiting For Godot and Cate Blanchett winning Best Female or The Maids.

Opera Australia were also involved in nine awards for The Melbourne Ring Cycle and The King And I.

Sam Simmons took home Best Comedy Performer ahead of Tom Gleeson, Ronny Chieng and The Boy With Tape On His Face.

See the full list of winners here.