2011 Winners

BEST ARTS EVENT

Outpost

Not only is this the festival that brought Banksy to Sydney, its line up features pretty much anyone who’s anyone in Australian street art. While you’d think it’d require more than a little trust to turn Cockatoo Island and its heritage listed buildings over to a bunch of people who get their kicks from drawing on walls, we guess this just shows how far the street art scene has come, and the ability of its members to stick together. The result is a transformation of the historic island as never seen before. Website

BEST COLLECTIVE, presented by PEDESTRIAN

Dirty Shirlows

Dirty Shirlows, Marrickville has been hosting independent creative events since 2008. Since its inception the space has been run by a dedicated band of volunteers (artists, designers, writers, curators & broadcasters) on pretty much no budget. They aim to support emerging, independent and sometimes challenging live performance (predominantly music). They’re not genre-specific but instead exist with the intention of providing an accessible, well-equipped and relaxed environment in which to host interesting events. Website

BEST EATS, presented by The Thousands Sydney

The Dip

We wish we could wrap The Dip in one sweet, soft hot dog bun and down the whole place whole. They’ve been pumping out down-home American diner delights for the happy groovers at Goodgod since May this year; stop dribbling pulled pork nachos down your top for a minute to say cheers. This is greasy food gone good – think chipotle dawgs and smokey beans with apple and cabbage slaw. There is much to dig at the Dip. Website

BEST LIVE MUSIC ACT, presented by Allans & Billy Hyde Music

The Jezabels

What can we say? 2011 has been the year of the The Jezabels. After building their confidence with three solid EPs, the release of their debut album saw The Jezabels land smack-bang in the middle of a media frenzy, unanimously hailing the beautiful and accomplished sound of Prisoner. The transformation of that sound into a live setting is a sonic experience that can only be described as epic. Lead singer Hayley Mary has the kind of soaring voice that makes you feel big and want to do big things – which is exactly what these guys have ahead of them. Big, brilliant, soulful things. Website

BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL presented by The Brag

Harvest

Harvest came from the same team that brought us Soundwave. The aim was a “civilised gathering” and the line up was a-ma-zing: Portishead, The National, The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, TV On The Radio, Mogwai, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Family Stone, Holy Fuck, PVT, Dappled Cities, Death In Vegas, Seekae, Mercury Rev, The Walkmen, This Town Needs Guns, Phosphorescent, and more, plus an expansive line-up of art installations, glam-rock burlesque, circus royalty, electro-swing idols and spoken word institutions. Website

BEST MUSIC EVENT

Goodgod Long Birthday Nights

Spread over the October long weekend, Goodgod Long Birthday Nights celebrated the first birthday of Sydney’s favourite late night party house with a 3-day bender carefully curated by Jimmy Sing and Martin Doyle. Friday was a ‘Birthday Bashment’ featuring Gappy Ranks (UK) alongside Sydney’s best bass’n'booty DJ champions and party crews. Saturday was a 12-band party showcase of garage, psych and indie electronic bands including The UV Race, Super Wild Horses and The Twerps. Sunday was an all-stars bonanza, with the return of the Goodgod house band plus sets from Oscar & Martin and Donny Benet, who played amongst an all-in dance-a-thon led by the people behind Goodgod’s resident club nights such as Jingle Jangle, Slow Blow, Hole n The Sky and Love Kings. Website

NEXT BIG THING, presented by Alberts

Matt Corby

Ironically, the last thing we expected to come out of Australian Idol was a great artist. But that’s exactly what Matt Corby is becoming, and pretty soon we’ll never have to mention his inauspicious beginnings again. There was a moment this year when he came into to FBi and played his single ‘Brother’ live in the studio, and the whole of the office came in to watch. We’ve got a feeling the rest of Australia are about to follow suit. Website

BEST ON SCREEN

Sam Bennetts for ‘Act Your Age’ (Bluejuice)

BEST ON STAGE

NICK COYLE – Me Pregnant!

Who’s afraid of the monster in the forest? Nick Coyle’s hugely anticipated one-man medieval revenge comedy Me Pregnant! (Old Fitz) was one of the most original plays to grace the Sydney stages this year. In a brave theatrical twist Nick played a nerd called Emmaline who saves her village from a monster and the monster who kills her, all in a pair of tights. That’s genius, right? Website

BEST SONG

Matt Corby -- Brother

BEST VISUAL ARTIST

Daniel O’Toole (aka Ears)

Daniel O’Toole, better known as Ears, has made a name for himself as a street artist, exhibiting in pubs, at live art shows, and through commissioned murals around Sydney. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably seen his stuff – at Sappho Books, Single Origin, The Record Store in Surry Hills, or at Newtown markets being peddled by the man himself. His style reflects this street background, throwing in an art school education to form a nifty nexus between the graphic focus of a street artist and a formalism that belies his anti-institutional bio. 2011 saw Ears transitioning from the streets to the gallery and making it look easy with his formidable solo show, The Grid. Website

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Lanie Lane, To The Horses

Sydney doesn’t breed too many cowgirls, so the debut album from Lanie Lane, To The Horses, really caught our attention this year. Her retro tinged sound and style has a bright future. Website

REMIX THE CITY

Jurassic Lounge

Adult education gets a bad wrap, but this year the Australian Museum introduced an event to beat any school excursion. Each week, after dark, the museum kept the doors open for Jurassic Lounge. Among the collections of dinosaur skeletons, minerals and native animals, you could discover some of Sydney’s precious gems including bands, soloists and performance artists. Every week was different with new and interesting screening, demonstrations and unusual lectures. You could even deliver your own karaoke rendition of ‘Walk The Dinosaur’ to a terrified audience that includes members of t-rex’s extended family. So, who says museums are full of crusty old dinosaurs. Website

SMAC OF THE YEAR

Millie Millgate

SMAC of the year recognises individuals who have gone above and beyond to make Sydney a more interesting, lively & creative city. Millie’s immense contribution to the Sydney music scene made her a strong candidate for the award, with a wealth of experience including her time as Creative Director of Music NSW and booker for iconic venues The Annandale and The Hopetoun. In her current position with SOUNDS AUSTRALIA, Millie’s work with local artists now reaches across continents in her role as the Music Export Producer.

Millie joins previous winners Fergus Linehan (Sydney Festival), John Wardle (Raise the Bar) and Hana Shimada & Jimmy Sing (Goodgod Small Club).