The people of Wollongong aren’t known for their interest in much but football but tonight was an impressive showcase of just how much the city has to offer to the country’s finest emerging artists.

About a thousand people attendeed the 5th Annual Musicoz Awards including some big industry players along with an enthusiastic assortment of music fans and of course, the country’s best independent and unsigned artists. Apart from the acknowledgement and industry exposure there was $100,000 in prizes up for grabs including recording deals, videoclips and photography packages.

Despite arriving late I was still able to catch the start of the night and take in the atmosphere. The security was everywhere but surprisingly relaxed compared to the frantic energy coming from the crew. Eventually the night was underway and host Yumi Stynes from Channel [V] did a pretty good job in making it look seamless, even when the occasional nominee was missing in the toilets! The stage was huge and split into two band areas and a chessboard in between for presentations while cameras whirrled above the audience.

Despite having never heard of the majority of the nominees the audience was generous with applause and occasionally pockets of fans would be heard cheering for better-known acts. Presenters included DW Norton who praised Musicoz for being one of the only awards ceremonies in the country to acknowlege heavy music and both Jimmy Little and Tony Mott received big cheers when they commented on the quality of our emerging artists. Noticably absent was the Musicoz ‘patron’ Richard Wilkins (perhaps was interviewing Kylie Minogue again!)

The overall winner (Artist of the Year) was Newcastle’s Amy Vee & the Virtues who also won a Tony Mott Photography prize. Sydney’s Irene Caldis picked up a few including Best Pop and last year’s Best Schoolies winner GrannyFlat from Adelaide won it again.

Some of the artists who performed included last year’s overall winner Nathan Leigh Jones, an exceptionally smooth serenade from Lior, a rambling bluesy-rock performance from The Fumes and a traditional-meets-modern aboriginal hiphop set from Local Knowledge, along with a sneak video preview of Wollongong’s own Porcelain featuring awesome new material from them being produced in Hollywood after winning a Musicoz Award and signing a multi-million dollar international deal.

The night ended with a typically powerful performance from Cog who, as always, suffered technical difficulties despite only having to play one song. They did however manage to hold it together and really gobsmack a few of the other of the night’s performers (who assured me the Cog soundcheck was flawless.) I was unable to attend the afterparty but the mood was one of both success and relief – another year, another Musicoz complete. The show goes to air nationally on SBS and pay television later this month.

The full list of winners are:

The 2005 Musicoz Artist Of The Year: Amy Vee and The Virtues
The RODE Microphones Best Pop Artist: Irene Caldis
The CAAMA Best Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Artist: Indigenous Intrudaz
The Maton Guitars Best Acoustic Award: 7 Roads To Downtown The Turramurra Music Best Alternative Artist: Blue King Brown
The Bowman & Burke Best Blues Artist: The Fumes
The Best Christian Artist: Angela Cox
The Best Classical Artist: Nikkie Dobosi-Cello with Lushous String Quartet
The Country Music Channel Best Country Artist Award: Natalie Howard
The Central Station Records Best Dance Artist: Rosa Musica with Crystal Grind
The Best Folk Artist: Linda Lockyer
The Roland Best Hip-Hop Artist: Lucky Dollar
The K&R Best Instrumental Artist: Matt Reed & Tony Colley
The KLD Best Jazz Artist: Shaun Cartoon
The Faultline Records Best Metal/Hardcore Artist: A Secret Death The Legit Music Development Best R&B Artist: Natalie Zahra
The Haworth Guitars Best Rock Artist: Star Assassin
The Coca-Cola Best Schoolies Artist: Granny Flat
The Down Under Safety Best World Artist: La Conexion