Live Review: The 2013 Age Music Victoria Awards

Kicking off the night with victories for Theatre Royal, Castlemaine and Corner Hotel in the Best Regional Venue and Best Venue categories respectively, it's hard to recall a better host than footy-loving soul man Chris Gill. Local combo Big Scary regale us with textured cuts from their Best Album nominee Not Art. Those not caught up chatting and schmoozing are seduced by their intriguing, layered take on trip hop-flavoured psych-rock.

Back to the awards, and Music Victoria's Bek Duke reads a telegram from Aunty Meredith, accepting the Best Festival award for Meredith Music Festival. Best Regional Band goes to Stonefield, and The Drones take Best Live Band, both wresting the award from stiff competition. While Vince Peach spins American soul cuts, the night begins to build toward the induction of Renee Geyer into the Hall Of Fame. Fellow inductee Michael Gudinski is celebrated in a video outlining the long success of Mushroom Records, and we view his acceptance speech via video.

The EG All Stars and Saskwatch Horns back stabs at soul songs from some of the city's most noted singers. Kylie Auldist and Lance Ferguson open with Renee Geyer's Stares And Whispers, Ella Thompson owns Geyer's Be There In The Morning before Linda Bull and Daniel Merriweather stun with their takes on Paul Kelly's Sure Got Me (Where You Want Me) and Cold Chisel's Four Walls respectively. Simon Says, the '60s pop hit, will never be the same now Dan Sultan has had his way with it, and Remi, representing the hip-hop soul connection, reminds us where much of Melbourne's creativity now lies.

The final awards given see Best Male and Best Album go to Paul Kelly, The Drones collect a second for Best Band, Adalita takes Best Female (presented by The Music) and Vance Joy's Riptide is a deserving Best Song.

From hear on out, the night is about one woman. A tribute video featuring Bonnie Raitt, one-time Beach Boy Ricky Fataar, Ella Thompson and Gudinski highlights Geyer's easy move between styles and varying influences. Inducting her into the Hall Of Fame, Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria calls for “a bit of shoosh” to read a quote from Geyer's father: “All modern music is shit. But my daughter's shit is the best.”

Geyer and her nine-piece backing band are in stunning form. Combining her pop hits with soul classics (and Paul Kelly's phenomenal Difficult Woman) we are left in no doubt as to what she was born to do, and how lucky we are to see her do it. Her voice, as Gill pointed out earlier, is only getting better. Closing with her '80s hit Say I Love You and the ever-stunning It's a Man's World, Geyer brings out Dan Sultan to duet on A Change Is Gonna Come. Introducing him as “our Elvis Presley” it's hard not to see the soul-powered rock legend's torch not only passed from one to another, but also shared and redoubled, ending a killer night.