Live Review: Queensland Music Awards

It’s a night for celebrating the best that the state’s music community has to offer, the Brisbane Powerhouse filled to the brim with a who’s who of industry personalities and artists both veteran and nascent for this evening’s Queensland Music Awards ceremony. While there’s much recognition passed around the room as the prizes are given out, and “This is so unexpected!” became the acceptance speech mantra of the show, the audience is treated to a series of live performances from local artists to punctuate the night’s proceedings.

Contemporary Indigenous outfit Yarwah get proceedings under way with the seriously impressive, highly polished, traditionally steeped Welcome To Country. The group seamlessly mix modern techniques with wind instruments such as flute, the Sudanese kacapi, and suling, a type of south-east Asian ring flute. Decked out in T-shirts in support of newly launched anti-violence against women campaign #notON, they prove a band with a message – and they deliver it powerfully and with devastating honesty.

Eclectic country outfit Halfway are next to take the stage, ahead of the award wins that will come their way later tonight. They’re a tight prospect, each player filling their role with casual aplomb for their short set. In fact, most of the artists tonight are uniformly capable in their two- or three-song-strong performances. Multiple QMA nominee Sahara Beck simply shines in her brief appearance, while the experimental compositions of diva-like songstress MKO take a little to find their groove – she hovers around her intended pitch for much of her first song – but once they lock in, the slick, elastic performance comes into its own.

Also up for recognition tonight, assured singer-songwriter Airling hits the stage in fine form indeed, her gorgeous vocal work rising up to the highest reaches of the Powerhouse. Soon after she concludes her flawless set of lush electronic pop, she’s awarded the Pop Award for the sublime Wasted Heights. So her performance, with hindsight, serves as something of a pre-emptive justification, demonstrating her talents not only as a songwriter but a stage presence as well.

Esteemed Queensland singer and songwriter Katie Noonan is next in line to bring some extra star power to the show, teaming with electronic artist cln for a remixed version of Noonan’s recent single, Peace Is My Drug. It’s a visually and sonically spectacular performance, cln’s electronic wizardry blending seamlessly with Noonan’s on-point vocal work as an acrobat slithers around and dangles from a chair hanging from a cable.

The penultimate live performance of the evening comes from much-hyped indie kids Blank Realm. Unfortunately, the endearing fray that fringes the band’s sonic edges on record – tonight, at least – doesn’t quite carry into the live setting, with an out-of-tune bass proving to be greatly distracting, one too many dropped key-tar notes taking things from cute to sloppy, and drummer Daniel Spencer’s just-off yell-singing not quite enough to cover the simplicity of the repetitive beat he utilises to convince the audience that he’s comfortable doing both at once. The guitarist (Luke Walsh) is great, though, and people seem to dig it, so... that’s music for you.

Finally, local veterans We All Want To take their place on stage to round out the performance component of the evening, performing with gusto despite the unfortunate handicap of performing the last set of the night, after all the awards have been given out and everyone realises they haven’t been to the toilet in three hours. Regardless, they persevere, delivering a typically polished outing that culminates with a fittingly upbeat and celebratory song to carry through the theatre as award winners, nominees and guests alike filter out into the night, sated on homegrown, high quality music.