John Collins And The Impact Of The Triffid's Album Of The Year: 'Queensland Keeps Punching Above Its Weight'

The Triffid is all about celebrating local talent.

In 2016, the beloved Brisbane venue launched The Triffid Album of the Year to celebrate the extraordinary talent emerging from Queensland. Public voting for this year’s award just wrapped, and the official ceremony will take place this week on Thursday, 27 November.

With albums as diverse as the history of Queensland’s music scene has always shown, this year’s nominees are Full Flower Moon Band with Megaflower, Sycco’s Zorb, King Stingray’s For The Dreams, Mallrat’s Light hit my face like a straight right, and Velociraptor’s Computer Future.

Announcing the winner in true Triffid style, the champion will receive a banner drop before taking their place on the venue’s Hero Wall alongside local legends Powderfinger, Violent Soho, Cub Sport, and The Go-Betweens. The winning artist will also take home a $3,800 marketing package from The Music, as well as a rehearsal day in The Triffid’s Live Room.

Previous winners of The Triffid Album of the Year award have reached incredible heights, from playing the venue’s beer garden to performing at the nearby Fortitude Music Hall. Past winners include Tia Gostelow, Cub Sport, Busby Marou, The Chats, Beddy Rays, The Dreggs, and more.

In other words, your favourite artist’s favourite up-and-coming artist has won—or been nominated for—The Triffid’s Album of the Year award, and you’ve either seen them in a beer garden or a large room.

Last year, The Dreggs took out the Queensland Album of the Year with their debut album, Caught In A Reverie.

“We’ve never been invited to something like this, and we’ve never really won any awards either. We should’ve prepared a speech,” the duo said upon accepting the award. “To all the punters out there, we fucking love you. To all the musos out there, keep fucking doing it. It’s hard… we’re independent, we almost went bankrupt, but now we’re here and so grateful. This is unreal. Thank you.”

Reflecting on The Triffid Album of the Year’s impact on local artists, The Music caught up with John “JC” Collins, mainstay bassist of Powderfinger, Queensland’s Night-Life Economy Commissioner, and co-owner and director of the Fortitude Music Hall and The Triffid.

Discussing the strength of this year’s finalists and why the local scene continues to punch above its weight, Collins told The Music, “This shortlist is stacked. Every one of these records has something going on, and they all sound completely different, which I love.

“Queensland keeps punching above its weight because the talent is here and the community backs it. People aren’t afraid to try new things, and it shows in the music.”

Of course, The Triffid Album of the Year is driven by fan-voting, with the local Queensland music community making their voices heard in shaping the Hero Wall.

“Fans are the whole point of it,” Collins notes, “They’re the ones who live with these albums and turn them into moments. Letting them decide who ends up on the Hero Wall means the result actually reflects the people who show up to gigs, buy the shirts and talk about the music. It keeps it honest.”

It’s these sentiments that Collins carries with him – telling The Music that the annual award means “a lot” to him personally and has become essential for the Queensland live music scene.

“As someone who’s played in bands, runs a venue and works across the state’s nightlife scene, I know how much work goes into making a record,” he shares. “Having something that recognises that effort here in Queensland feels important. It shows that we value our own and that albums still matter.”

Showcasing pride for The Triffid’s efforts in spotlighting local music, Collins concludes that he’s “very proud” of the efforts. “The Triffid has always been about giving artists a place to grow, so hosting this every year feels right. It brings everyone together and gives these artists a proper moment. Seeing new talent celebrated in our venue never gets old.”

If you want to attend the award ceremony, it’s free, so head down to The Triffid this Thursday to be part of the highly anticipated event.

The Triffid Album of the Year event will take place on Thursday, 27 November. You can find more information about the big day here.