Live Review: Queensland Music Awards

The Brisbane Powerhouse is abuzz tonight as the Queensland music industry converges to pay tribute to its standout performers at the 2017 Qld Music Awards and living legends and emergent heroes alike fill the auditorium for an evening of celebration and hard-earned recognition for several of the state's musical superstars.

Between the actual award presentations — as with previous years — organisers have seen fit to dot the night's proceedings with a series of live performances from selected nominees, and it helps lift the ceremony from passive salute to active party from the get-go.

The first act of the evening is Brissy crowd favourites Good Boy, whose earworm Poverty Line is up for (and ultimately wins) the Rock category tonight, along with their follow-up tune S.O.G.K. It's Poverty Line with which the boys open the show and set the tone, vocalist/bassist Rian King even making a rare appearance in pants that go past his knees for the occasion. The trio bash out their key jam with casual aplomb, nailing the little licks and fills and other aural treats throughout that make their tune such a delight, and get things off to a flying start.

A few awards later, we're treated to the diverse, deep vibes of respected reggae/dub ensemble Kingfisha, nominated tonight in the Blues & Roots category for their track The Gold. As is tradition, the band bust out a note-perfect rendition of that venerated song, and fill the room with its booming, boisterous grooves and infectious vocal lines to leave toes still tapping well after they've departed the stage. They may not win the award tonight, but damned if they don't easily win our hearts.

Emergent LA-via-Gold Coast singer-songwriter ROMY also makes a big impression on the ears and minds in her proximity with her Urban award-winning tune Wild Heart. Cutting a striking figure as the lone person on stage — until she's joined by a guitarist who offers up some reverb-heavy, atmosphere-building riffs — ROMY seems perfectly at home as a performer, the lack of other bodies on stage doing nothing to diminish the impact of the performance. She shows off her powerful vocal chops atop a bed of trap drums and synth lines throughout, making it perfectly clear how she was able to successfully shift bases to the big, bad United States back in 2014 and not look back.

Most Popular Group winners Cub Sport offer up a gorgeous, evocative and downright classy rendition of their brilliant tune Come On Mess Me Up, the band demonstrating the reasons they're so well-loved with ease and innate humility. Frontman Tim Nelson is a charming presence, his movements understated yet infectious, and vocals sublime. The polish and unity that flows effortlessly from the rest of the band demonstrates how tight a unit they've become, and leave us marvelling over the fact that, as great as they already are, their best days are likely still ahead of them. That's a hugely exciting prospect.

Unfortunately, owing to award presentation commitments, this writer misses a very special appearance from revered locals george, who have reconvened to put on a tribute performance — backed by an eight-piece string section — to departed friends and avid music lovers Carol Lloyd and Ritchie Yorke, the latter of whom is posthumously awarded the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award tonight. What can be heard from backstage sounds predictably tremendous, though.

The night is closed by dual award-winner Tia Gostelow, who has emerged as the victor in the categories of Folk/Singer-Songwriter and Schools. While her relative youth shows a little in her award acceptances — no judgment; she's clearly a little overwhelmed at all the attention she's getting these days — there are no traces of those nerves as she steps out with her band to finish off the evening, her vocals sitting strongly atop surprisingly accomplished instrumentation from her backing musicians. It's an utterly delightful way to round out the ceremony, leaving the crowd with a fresh reminder of the boundless brightness that lies ahead for the Queensland music scene as we move towards BIGSOUND later in the year — and beyond.