CAN’ T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD
As we celebrate 30 years of the ARIA Awards with new and archival portraits by photographer Hugh Stewart, music writer Iain Shedden reflects on what they mean to the industry.
Celebrating 30 years of the ARIA Awards with new and archival portraits by photographer Hugh Stewart.
Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has fond memories of winning an ARIA award at the first ceremony in Sydney in 1987. “We always did those shows with the attitude of having as much fun as we possibly could, rather than sulking our way through the ceremony looking like we were bored,” Finn says.
As the ARIAs mark their 30th anniversary this month with a stellar line-up of local and overseas talent, including Crowded House’s induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, Finn’s observation about enjoying the experience is worth dwelling on.
Since the ARIAs are the ultimate acknowledgement of local artists’ talent, designed at the outset by the major record companies to “recognise excellence and innovation in all genres of Australian music”, it’s a privileged position to be in, finding yourself in contention. However, in a decidedly fickle industry where fame can be fleeting, if you’re a nominee it’s wise to enjoy the experience while you can. Not everyone can expect the enduring popularity of the Crowdies.
Since Elton John hosted that first ceremony at Sydney’s Sheraton Wentworth Hotel, the ARIAs, devised by the Australian Recording Industry Association, have become many things, not least a great marketing tool for the
artists and record labels who gather around it each year, with sales often boosted by the winning of one of the prized pointy trophies. Most of all, however, the ARIAs are an annual celebration of the Australian music industry in all of its guises, from country music to hard rock, from urban to pop, and including the growing number of independent artists that sit side by side with those signed to the major labels.
In 2016 we have much to celebrate. Back in 1987, when John Farnham cleaned up with the album Whispering Jack and its landmark single You’re the Voice, few Australian artists were enjoying international acclaim. A look at this year’s nominees shows how far Australian music has come in terms of global success. Sydney’ s golden-boy producer Flume, for example, the leading contender this year with 11 nominations, headlined Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay in July and is playing to huge audiences in the US and Europe, while Sia, with six nominations, is already one of our most successful pop exports as a singer and songwriter. Indeed, pretty much all of this year’s contenders, from Courtney Barnett to Violent Soho and from Troye Sivan to the Avalanches, have international pedigrees. In the digital age the world has become smaller and Aussie music has benefitted from it.
The history of the ARIAs has thrown up many memorable moments and one or two catastrophes. Since 1990, live performances by nominees and the occasional overseas guest have been integral to the ceremony. Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies diving headfirst into his bass drum during the band’s 1995 performance of Radio Birdman’s New Race sticks out as an epic rock’n’roll highlight, while American star Pink driving a tractor onto the stage to perform her hit So What in 2008 was another standout, although her appearance did spark debate about whether overseas acts should be part of the ARIAs at all. Bryan Ferry didn’t fare too well on that score when he presented an award in 1988, sparking a scuff le between Midnight Oil’s manager Gary Morris, who took objection to Ferry being there, and Molly Meldrum, who was defending the Roxy Music singer’s presence.
As to the winners of the coveted award, there have been many who have followed in Farnham’s footsteps by collecting multiple awards on the night. Savage Garden scored a record haul in 1997, winning 10 of the 13 awards for which they were nominated on the back of their self-titled, internationally acclaimed album. Missy Higgins took five trophies in 2005 for her album The Sound of White, while in 2012, Wally De Backer, better known as Gotye, took all six awards for which he was nominated following the success of his album Making Mirrors and the global smash-hit Somebody That I Used To Know.
Country star Kasey Chambers is one of the few artists outside of rock and pop to win album of the year and best female artist, taking both in 2002 for her album Barricades & Brickwalls, while in 1992 Yothu Yindi’s anthem Treaty became the first song by an Aboriginal band to win single of the year. The overall tally of winners has Silverchair at the top with 21 ARIAs, followed by Farnham on 20, Powderfinger on 18 and Kylie Minogue on 17.
Whether and by whom the awards should be televised has also been a recurring issue throughout the ARIAs’ tenure. During that first ceremony Elton John advised the industry to keep the awards off the box if it wanted them to remain fun, but since 1992 it has gone to air in some form and is now a multimedia experience.
Its greatest failure of the last three decades came in 2010, when organisers lost sight of what the event is all about and instead opted to try and emulate the success of reality TV such as Australian Idol by staging it in a new format and broadcasting live from Sydney Opera House. Making the show about television ratings rather than a celebration of the industry turned it into a disaster. Artists and audience – even presenters – were never sure where they were supposed to be or what was going on. It was a shambles, but a lesson learned.
Since then, due to budget constraints in the digital age, the ARIAs are perhaps not quite so lavish as they were 15 years ago, but they are at least focused once again on the thing that matters most: celebrating Aussie talent.
The ARIAs have a colourful and respected history as a measure of local form but, as with the industry itself, it’s in the many emerging Australian acts that the awards’ future lies. A look at the nominees for this year’s breakthrough artist award suggest that future is bright. DMA’s, LDRU, Montaigne, Olympia and Safia represent the new breed of Aussie performers across several genres, from rock to electronic, and there are many more following in their wake, hoping to carve an enduring career in the music business.
By way of encouragement to all of them it’s worth mentioning who won the breakthrough artist award at that first ceremony 29 years ago: Crowded House. As they accept their induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the winners emerge at the ARIAs on November 23, it will mark a moment in history when Australia has more talent across the board than ever before, with more potential than ever before to take that talent around the world. That alone is worthy of celebration.