Live Review: WAM Song Of The Year Awards 2018

The stately digs of the Victoria Hall, hosting Fly By Night, made an auspicious setting for this year's installment of WAM's annual song competition. 

Kicking off the celebration, the beloved Phil Walley-Stack claimed, "My job is to make you all feel happy and welcome" - an obligation he honoured with his didgeridoo and Welcome To Country. Then it was over to Odette Mercy who proved a warm and enthusiastic host for the evening, even if she did channel her inner mother as she demanded that smokers take their "sin sticks" outside. The youngsters then led the way tonight, with the Schools 14 & Under award going to Farraday's Cage for The Fire Inside while Figurehead charged the Schools 15-17 division with their song Ear To Lend.

Percussionist duo Feels were worthy recipients of the Electronic award for their song Prior Engagement and they celebrated their win with a colourful 20-minute set of sprightly, optimistic electronica in their shiny mermaid-coloured tracky dacks.

The Little Lord Street Band continued their run of form, winning the Country category with their Maybe I'm Just In Love. Odette Mercy accepted the Urban/Hip Hop award on behalf of the absent Coin Banks (for Be Real). Helen Shanahan was on hand, though, to collect the Folk prize for I Only Hide. John Bennett was a double winner, leading the Outstanding Regional and Outstanding Indigenous fields with the sentimental Country Is Calling.

Rocking retro skinny ties as if they'd just time machined their way in from an '80s varsity party, JFK's high-energy rock filled the ceilings with guitars augmented by Van Halen-esque synth sounds. They exhibited a fresh-faced and youthful dynamic that star-jumped out of their lawyers' suits and leather briefcases.

Accepting the World award for their song Same Drum, Akolkol Dastan Gesa (pity the poor journos who had to get that band name down in a hurry) provided the most heartwarming moment of the evening as seven teenage members of the collective thanked their parents for allowing them to indulge their noisy urges. Intenso possibly ought to have done likewise, if not more so, as their magnificently abrasive The One championed the Experimental field. Changing tack, Harry Mitchell's Don't Stop Here scooped up the Jazz prize while Carus Thompson's Lies scored the Blues/Roots award.

The Justin Walshe Folk Machine's seven-strong posse then passionately delivered a bevy of outlaw songs with some compelling storytelling before the final clutch of honours were awarded.

The evergreen Bob Gordons nabbed the Punk/Hardcore prize for Magic Glove, the only song here tonight with masturbation as a central lyrical theme. A clearly surprised but grateful Bolt Gun then accepted the Heavy/Metal award for their atmospheric epic Man Is Wolf To Man Part 2.

Stella Donnelly not only snatched the pop award but also the grand prize itself for her toxic masculinity bashing Boys Will Be Boys. Donnelly was unable to attend due to touring commitments, but her prize was heartily accepted by her unprepared but straight-talking dad, who disclosed that, after hearing this song for the first time, he told her if she ever recorded it, it would change her life.

DJ Chicken Wing filled the gaps in the program and played the night out with a solid selection of gold-encrusted nuggets and classic indie hits, but given tonight's focus was all about WA music, it was disappointing that she didn't focus more on Western Australian artists throughout her set.

As we left Fremantle, excited about newcomers and proud of those with trajectories already rising high, these two reviewers could not help but wish to have seen and heard more music from a larger number of live acts with shorter slots to help us get to know the amazing nominees even more. It's a format that has been used before at the annual WAM awards with great success. Respect was due, though, to the integrity of the voting panel who were courageous enough to select bold, experimental winners in the fields of electronic music and metal. Tonight provided further evidence that WA is not just about the mining; there are many deep resources of musical talent here that again showed their worth tonight.