Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Score Nomination In 2017 Brit Awards

Australian icons Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have picked up a nomination in one of the international categories for this year's annual Brit Awards.

As one of only two Australian acts to be recognised — the other being Sia, in the category of International Female Solo Artist — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have ushered their acclaimed, deeply personal album Skeleton Tree to a nod under the category of International Group, in which they'll face off against A Tribe Called Quest, Drake & Future, Kings Of Leon and Twenty One Pilots.

Sia is grouped against Beyonce, Christine & The Queens, Rihanna and Solange, while the International Male Solo Artist bracket contains no Aussies, comprising Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, Drake, The Weeknd and the late Leonard Cohen.

Departed icon David Bowie picked up a pair of posthumous nominations — British Male Solo Artist and British Album Of The Year, for final record Blackstar — while multiple nods also came for Rihanna, who was also nominated as a featured artist under British Artist Video Of The Year and British Single (both for appearing on This Is What You Came For, by Calvin Harris) and alt darlings The 1975, who were nominated for best album (I Like It When You Sleep For You Are Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It) and the British Group award.

See the full list of nominees at the Brit Awards' website. The prizegiving ceremony will be held on 22 February.

Back to Cave, the Bad Seeds frontman recently gave his first interview since the album's release, telling The Australian that the process was a "terrifying" and "difficult" one to endure.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds continue their current tour with The Necks this weekend as part of the Sydney Festival, with two shows at the International Convention Centre this Friday, 20 January, and Saturday, 21 January.

Additional dates remain in Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne (two shows), Adelaide and Perth. See theGuide for all the details.