5. Flight Facilities

The ARIAs has been filled with great performances over the years. Like when Tim Rogers & Silverchair wreaked havoc while covering Radio Birdman, or when Gotye performed the chart destroying ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’. It’s always exciting to see who is going to pull out the performance of the night; and last night it was Flight Facilities.

4. Tina Arena’s Acceptance Speech

The ARIA Hall Of Fame induction is almost always one of the best moments of the ARIAs. It highlights some of the nation’s finest talents, recognizing decades of achievements. This year was no different, with singer/songwriter Tina Arena going into the Hall of Fame. When the Herald Sun ran an industry poll to find Australia’s greatest singers, Arena naturally made the Top 5, coming in third place. From her time in Young Talent Time, to becoming the first Australian to be award the Knighthood of the Order of National Merit in France, she’s a national bloody treasure. She was inducted by Kylie Minogue, and her award was presented to her by Cadel Evans.

3. The Wiggles Meet King Parrot

After the announcement that The Wiggles will be playing at 18+ show next year, it seems they were scoping the red carpet for potential supports. Who better than King Parrot?

The Wiggles and King Parrot finally together on the red carpet @ The ARIA Music Awards!

Posted by King Parrot onWednesday, 25 November 2015

2. Matt Okine’s Acceptance Speech

Sometimes things that happen at the ARIAs don’t make the broadcast. There’s a lot that goes down on stage, and sometimes some of it has to be left on the cutting room floor to make sure there is enough time to cross to 5 Seconds Of Summer three separate times. One of the things that got cut was Matt Okine’s acceptance speech for winning Best Comedy Album.

“I feel bad if I didn’t make a point of something that I feel a little weird about. I don’t think there were any women nominated at all in the Comedy category” Okine explained, “I didn’t feel great reading that list of people”. The triple j Breakfast host used his time on stage to point out the lack of female artists not only in the Comedy category, but in the ARIA Awards in large. It’s a shame it didn’t make the broadcast, because it was one of the best speeches of the night.

When the nominations dropped for this year’s ARIA Awards, the two shining stars were Tame Impala and Courtney Barnett. Both scored noms in several categories after releasing landmark albums. Tame Impala for their Disco-inspired album Currents, and Barnett for her debut album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. We highlighted the nominees for Album of the Year a few months back, and it seemed to come down to these two heavyweights, who both cleaned up big at the ARIA awards.

Tame Impala scored the awards for Best Rock Album and Best Group, as well as the top gong; Album Of The Year. Frontman Kevin Parker also picked up the pointy trophies for Engineer and Producer of the Year.

Courtney Barnett picked up the awards for Best Female, Breakthrough Artist, Best Independent Release (where the host forgets that Barnett is on the other side of the world), and Best Cover Art. She appeared live via satellite to accept the award for Best Female, and when Rove McManus asked her if there is anything she would like to say about winning the award, she told Rove not to drop it.

2015 ARIA Award Nominations & Winners

Album Of The Year

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Flight Facilities – Down To Earth

Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light

Tame Impala – Currents

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away

Best Rock Album

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Dead Letter Circus – Aesthesis

Gang of Youths – The Positions

Tame Impala – Currents

The Preatures – Blue Planet Eyes

Best Video

Alison Wonderland – U Don’t Know feat. Wayne Coyne (Prad Senanayake)

Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best (Charlie Ford)

Daniel Johns – Aerial Love (Lorin Askill)

Delta Goodrem – Wings (Anthony Rose)

Flume – Some Minds feat. Andrew Wyatt (Clemens Habicht)

Matt Sharp & Daniel James for The Veronicas – You Ruin Me (Matt Sharp & Daniel James)

Hermitude – Through The Roof feat. Young Tapz (Kess Broekman Dattner)

Lee Kernaghan – Spirit Of The Anzacs (Duncan Toombs)

Shane Nicholson – Secondhand Man (Filmery)

Vance Joy – Georgia

Best Country Album

Catherine Britt – Boneshaker

Lee Kernaghan – Spirit Of The Anzacs

Mustered Courage – White Lies and Melodies

Shane Nicholson – Hell Breaks Loose

Troy Cassar-Daley – Freedom Ride

Best Urban Album

Citizen Kay – Demokracy

Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon

Seth Sentry – Strange New Past

The Meeting Tree – R U A Cop

Tuka – Life Death Time Eternal

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album

Born Lion – Final Words

In Hearts Wake – Skydancer

King Parrot – Dead Set

Northlane – Node

Thy Art Is Murder – Holy War

Breakthrough Artist

Conrad Sewell – Start Again

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Gang of Youths – The Positions

Jarryd James – Do You Remember

Meg Mac – Never Be

Best Blues And Roots Album

C.W. Stoneking – Gon’ Boogaloo

Marlon Williams – Marlon Williams

The Black Sorrows – Endless Sleep

The Waifs – Beautiful You

Tim Rogers & The Bamboos – The Rules of Attraction

Best Adult Contemporary Album

John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John – Two Strong Hearts

Megan Washington – There There

Oh Mercy – When We Talk About Love

Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions – Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions

Szymon –Tigersapp

Best Independent Release

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light

Jarryd James – Do You Remember

Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions – Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away

Best Pop Release

Conrad Sewell – Start Again

Jarryd James – Do You Remember

Sia – Elastic Heart

Tame Impala – Let It Happen

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away

Best Group

5 Seconds of Summer – LiveSOS

AC/DC – Rock Or Bust

Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light

Tame Impala – Currents

The Preatures – Blue Planet Eyes

Best Comedy Release

Bondi Hipsters – Fuhck The Bahnks

Buddy Goode – Songs To Ruin Every Occasion

Matt Okine – Live at the Enmore Theatre

Ronny Chieng – Chieng Reaction

Sammy J & Randy – Live

Best Children’s Album

Giggle and Hoot – Hootastic Tunes

Play School – Favourite Things – Songs and Nursery Rhymes from Play School

Rhys Muldoon – Perfect Is The Enemy Of Good

Sam Moran – Play Along With Sam: BOO!

The Wiggles – Rock & Roll Preschool

Song Of The Year

Conrad Sewell – Start Again

Grace – You Don’t Own Me feat. G-Eazy

Iggy Azalea – Trouble feat. Jennifer Hudson

Jarryd James – Do You Remember

Marlisa – Stand By You

Nathaniel – Live Louder

Peking Duk – Take Me Over feat. SAFIA

Sia – Elastic Heart

The Veronicas – You Ruin Me

Vance Joy – Georgia

Best Dance Release

Alison Wonderland – Run

Flight Facilities – Down To Earth

Hayden James – Something About You

Peking Duk – Take Me Over feat. SAFIA

Rüfüs – You Were Right

Best Female Artist

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Jessica Mauboy – Can I Get A Moment?

Meg Mac – MEGMAC EP

Megan Washington – There There

Sia – Elastic Heart

Best Male Artist

#1 Dads – Nominal

Daniel Johns – Talk

Guy Sebastian – Tonight Again

Jarryd James – Do You Remember

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away

Best Australian Live Act

5 Seconds Of Summer – Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit Album Tour

Gang of Youths – Gang of Youths National Tour

Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light Tour

Hilltop Hoods – Cosby Sweater Australian Tour

Nick Cave – Nick Cave Australian Tour

Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions – Paul Kelly Presents The Merri Soul Sessions Tour

Sheppard – The Bombs Away Tour

The Preatures – The Cruel Tour

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away Tour

Best International Artist

Calvin Harris – Motion

Ed Sheeran – X

Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways

Hozier – Hozier

James Bay – Chaos And The Calm

Mark Ronson – Uptown Special

Meghan Trainor – Title

One Direction – Four

Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour (Capitol / EMI)

Taylor Swift – 1989

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