King Gizz, Camp Cope, Alex Lahey & More Nab Major Wins At 2016 Age Music Victoria Awards

Respected Melbourne venue 170 Russell filled out in celebration of the industry tonight for the 2016 The Age Music Victoria Awards, with the evening's winners including King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Camp Cope, Alex Lahey and more.

King Gizz proved the biggest victors of the night in the publicly voted awards, walking away with wins across three categories. The prolific psych-rock troupe earned themselves the Best Album prize for their latest full-length, Nonagon Infinity, as well as the prestigious Best Band and Best Live Band awards — with which anyone who's seen them play will undoubtedly agree vigorously.

Also making multiple appearances were The Drones, who were named as Best Regional Act and whose incendiary anthem Taman Shud won the prize of Best Song. 

Meanwhile, the ascendant indie-punks in Camp Cope capped off an incredible past 12 months by picking up the title of Best Emerging Act — again, given the achievements marking their calendar year, it's incredibly difficult to argue with that one — and, as a result, a chance to showcase at next year's BIGSOUND Festival in Brisbane, a $2000 Virgin Australia Voucher (thanks to Travel Beyond Group), some sweet Crumpler bags and an instore gig at Allans Billy Hyde.

Lahey, too, is coming off a remarkable year of achievements, punctuating it with a win in the category of Best Female Artist, while Best Male Artist was taken out by ever-stylish singer-songwriter C.W. Stoneking (against the likes of Briggs and Remi, among others). Rounding out the categories of the people were their favourite places: The Bridge Hotel in Castlemaine picked up Best Regional Venue, while the Corner Hotel and The Tote were named Best Venue for over and under 500-person capacity, respectively. Meanwhile, the institutional Meredith Music Festival won their hearts as Best Festival.

Speaking on industry institutions, long-serving Melbourne community radio station 3RRR was honoured with an induction into The Age Music Victoria Hall Of Fame after four decades of tireless dedication to lifting up the creative culture of the city and state. 

Geoff King, the board of directors' chair, former broadcaster and 3RRR's first music co-ordinator, effused in a statement: "I'm really proud of the contribution Triple R has made to our musical and intellectual life, so it's great to have such a public celebration in its 40th year."

"The Music Victoria Hall Of Fame induction is a powerful way of recognising Triple R's achievements when placed alongside earlier inductees, particularly the likes of Stan Rofe and Bill Armstrong, without whom Melbourne would not have developed such a strong music scene," he said.

Along with the publicly voted categories, several industry-judged prizes were awarded on the evening, with winners in that pool including the likes of Oh Pep! (Best Folk Or Roots Album, Stadium Cake), Tracy McNeil & The Good Life (Best Country Album, Thieves), Melbourne Ska Orchestra (Best Global Or Reggae Album, Sierra Kilo Alpha), Benny Walker (Best Aboriginal Act), Kylie Auldist (Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B Or Gospel Album, Family Tree) and more.

"Congratulations to all of finalists and winners, which included some usual suspects like The Drones, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, and Kylie Auldist and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard," Music Victoria chief executive Patrick Donovan said. "And it's great to see some newer acts also picking up gongs like Camp Cope and Alex Lahey."

Camp Cope performed after the ceremony along with fellow winners Melbourne Ska Orchestra and critical darling Tash Sultana. Every ticket to tonight's event forwarded $5 to industry charity Support Act, while every nominee received a gift of a rehearsal/pre-production package from event partner and icon-in-its-own-right Bakehouse Studios.

See below for the full winners' list.

The Age Music Victoria Awards — 2016 Winners

• public-voted categories

Best Album

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Nonagon Infinity

Best Song

The Drones — Taman Shud

Best Band

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Best Male Artist

C.W. Stoneking

Best Female Artist

Alex Lahey

Best Emerging Act

Camp Cope

Best Regional Act

The Drones

Best Live Band

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Best Regional Venue

The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine

Best Venue (Over 500 Capacity)

Corner Hotel

Best Venue (Under 500 Capacity)

The Tote

Best Festival

Meredith Music Festival

• Industry Genre Award Winners

Best Heavy Album

Be'Lakor — Vessels

Best Folk Or Roots Album

Oh Pep! Stadium Cake

Best Experimental Or Avant-Garde Act

Inland (Alex Garsden and Rohan Drape)

Best Country Album

Tracy McNeil & The Goodlife — Thieves

Best Hip Hop Album

Plutonic Lab — Deep Above The Noise

Best Electronic Act

Harvey Sutherland

Best Jazz Album

Peter Knight — Way Out West

Best Aboriginal Act

Benny Walker

Best Global Or Reggae Album

Melbourne Ska Orchestra — Sierra Kilo Alpha

Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B Or Gospel Album

Kylie Auldist — Family Tree

Best Blues Album

Nick Charles — The River Flows