Amy Shark, Mason Rack, Hussy Hicks and the Shark Bar win big at Gold Coast Music Awards

Homegrown hit maker Amy Shark proved she’s still the queen of the city’s music scene when she was named artist of the year tonight at the fourth annual Gold Coast Music Awards.

GOLD Coasters have gathered on the beach in Surfers Paradise tonight to witness a shark attack.

Homegrown hit maker Amy Shark proved she’s still the queen of the city’s music scene when she was named artist of the year at the fourth annual Gold Coast Music Awards.

The Shark Bar’s unwavering support of original live music was also recognised at the gala ceremony along the foreshore when the iconic venue, upstairs at the Miami Tavern, trumped NightQuarter to be named venue of the year.

Hollow Coves won two Gold Coast Music Awards — for breakout artist of the year and song of the year for their track Coastline. Picture: Supplied.

A finalist in four categories, APRA and ARIA-winning singer and songwriter Shark was unable to make it home for this year’s GCMAs, which celebrated some of the Goldies’ favourite oldies.

The Shark Bar‘s Shakafest, a celebration of surf, skate, art and rock held in the venue’s carpark last August, was named best event while 2015 Artists of the Year Hussy Hicks, aka Leesa Gentz and Julz Parker, won album of the year for their fifth studio longplayer, On The Boundaries.

The album propelled Hussy Hicks to a staggering year on the road — 2017 saw them play Blues on Broadbeach, Peak Festival, Winton Film Festival, Bello Winter Festival, Gympie Muster, Mullum Music Festival, Sydney Blues Festival, 18 shows in Germany and Italy, 17 in the US and a mini-tour of New Zealand.

Leesa Gentz and Julz Parker from Hussy Hicks won the Gold Coast Music Award for album of the year for On The Boundaries. Picture: Jerad Williams

Folk duo Hollow Coves flew the flag for the city’s new generation music makers at the awards, fending off favoured finalists including Shark to claim song of the year for their track Coastline, which has had more than a million views on YouTube, and breakout artist of the year while Lane Harry x Ike Campbell’s locally made clip for The Dash, directed by Nils Nilsson, claimed video of the year.

The Miami Tavern’s upstairs room the Shark Bar was named live venue of the year at the 2018 Gold Coast Music Awards. Picture: Jerad Williams

The biggest and most welcome surprise of the night came when indefatigable blues rocker Mason Rack and his globetrotting band won the coveted live act of the year award following another huge run in 2017 that saw them clock up more than 130 shows, including 24 dates in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland as part of their sixth European tour.

Rack was visibly stunned as he trumped a class field of finalists including Shark, Eliza & The Delusionals and Hussy Hicks, his win one of the highlights of the rocking-good night.

A drone’s eye view of Shakafest at the Miami Tavern in August 2017. The festival won event of the year at the 2018 Gold Coast Music Awards. Picture: @LampPhotography, courtesy GCMA.

While the awards ceremony, hosted by former Triple J presenter Dom Alessio, was a sold out affair, thousands of music fans were treated to a free live concert by Bobby Alu, award-winners Hussy Hicks and finalists Electrik Lemonade and Eliza & the Delusionals as part of the celebrations.

Queensland Conservatorium deputy director Donna Weston, who chaired the GCMA judging panel, said the awards categories were all hotly contested.

“Given the strength of nominations, the judges just had to keep coming back to the criteria to ensure the right results were reached,” she said.

Gold Coast singer Amy Shark performing on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Photo: Instagram.

Bleach* festival producer and fellow judge Julia Bridger said Hollow Coves had proved a revelation for the judging panel.

“Beautifully written and recorded songs and incredible steps that they’ve made career-wise meant they were deserving winners in a very competitive field of finalists,” she said.

The awards, which moved to Surfers last year as part of a five-year partnership with Surfers Paradise Alliance, also mark the official launch of Surfers Paradise LIVE — a free feast of live music in the streets and venues of Surfers by acts including Jimmy Barnes, Daryl Braithwaite, Jon Stevens and Kate Ceberano.

Mason Rack at the 2016 Blues on Broadbeach festival. Picture: David Clark

2018 GOLD COAST MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS

Album of the Year

Hussy Hicks — On The Boundaries

Artist of the Year

Amy Shark

Breakout Artist of the Year

Hollow Coves

Event of the Year

Shakafest

Live Act of the Year

The Mason Rack Band

Song of the Year

Hollow Coves — Coastline

Venue of the Year

Miami Tavern Shark Bar

Video of the Year

Lane Harry x Ike Campbell — The Dash (directed by Nils Nilsson).