Tim Minchin didn't mince his words as he gave one instruction to the people of Australia while presenting an ARIA Award.
Cheeky quips from Guy Sebastian and Tim Minchin bookended this year's ARIA Awards, an at-times stilted affair that suffered without the presence of a live audience.
World-renowned band Tame Impala were the night's biggest winners, taking home five awards including Album of the Year. Botswana-based Aussie rapper Sampa The Great also won big, picking up three awards including Best Female Artist.
The show's host Delta Goodrem was also a winner on the red carpet, looking stunning in a plunging strapless silver gown.
Guy Sebastian picked up the first award of the night for Best Video, and let slip an X-rated quip referencing golfing legend Greg Norman's recent revealing Instagram post. Glancing at presenter Joel Creasey's skin-tight one-piece suit, Sebastian quipped: "Greg Norman wouldn't be able to wear that."
And later in the night, Tim Minchin offered another welcome unscripted moment when he gave music lovers some advice for 2021, as the arts industry hopefully gets back on its feet: "Do please buy a f**king ticket!"
See how it all unfolded in our liveblog below:
Tame Impala won the night's final award, for Best Album, and gave a rather underwhelming 20-second speech. Leave it to the ladies to send us home properly, then: An all-star selection of Australian female singers paying tribute to the late Helen Reddy and her iconic anthem I Am Woman.
Delta, Marcia Hines, Kate Ceberano, Christine Anu, Jess Mauboy, Tones And I, even Emma from The Wiggles! Plus heaps more singing along on screen:
Presenting the Best Female award with Kate Ceberano, Minchin reflected on what a difficult year it's been for those in the arts and told viewers to do one thing as venues start opening back up and artists start touring again: "Do please buy a f**king ticket."
Ceberano seemed stunned, before agreeing: "That's right! buy a f**king ticket!"
Best Female Artist went to Sampa the Great, who's having a great night indeed, having won Best Independent Release and Best Hip-Hop.
If you've been following the #ARIAs hashtag on social media today, you may have noticed a deluge of Harry Styles fans from around the world hoping their idol will win the fan-voted Best International Act award.
Surprise, surprise – he did:
Singer-sonwriter Archie Roach is this year's Hall of Fame inductee – and he's joined by Paul Kelly for an emotional performance of Roach's "healing" song Took the Children Away. Roach, 64, has had his health battles in recent years, but he's still in fine voice:
Archie’s still got it #ARIAs
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) November 25, 2020
Protect Archie Roach at all costs. An absolute national treasure! #Arias
— Olivia Silk (@livsilk) November 25, 2020
to see archie being inducted into the hall of fame is so beautiful, and what he deserves 🥺 he has worked so hard, and is so strong #ARIAS
— beth – kinda ia (@celestialthao) November 25, 2020
The Kid Laroi has been a surprise international star this year, his mixtape charting at an incredible #3 in the US. Not bad for a 17-year-old from Sydney who was raised in Broken Hill.
But despite his international success, Laroi lost the 'Best Breakthrough' award to Northern Beaches band Lime Cordiale. Soon after, he also lost the Best Hip-Hop award to Sampa The Great. Some weren't happy:
The real breakthrough artist this year? Kid Laroi. Every day. #ARIAs
— MickRad (@mickrad) November 25, 2020
KidLaroi by far the biggest prospect internationally, ‘go’ hit the US billboard charts but hes getting snubbed??? #ARIAs
— Mila (@mycatjilly) November 25, 2020
ay even though @thekidlaroi didn’t win breakthrough artist/ hip hop release, congrats on getting nominated, that’s insane!! keep it up! @ARIA_Official #ARIAs pic.twitter.com/4X5Myj6c8M
— ashlee (@_ashleemcinnes) November 25, 2020
How Laroi has not picked up the ARIA for best hip-hop release is beyond me. Mans put out not only a quality album by Australian standards, but by international ones #ARIAs
— Konston_ (@Konston_) November 25, 2020
Confusingly, she's presenting… Kylie Minogue, who's presenting Best Pop Release. Soph lists all of Kylie's achievements, contrasting them with her own: "She has seven number one albums, and I'm… good at karaoke when I'm drunk." Sophie Monk, stop hiding your Bardot light under a bushel!
Amy Shark takes out the award, thanking her producer Joel Little for "turning my really s***ty voice memo demo of Everybody Rise into an ARIA award-winning pop song."
The night's been fairly stilted so far – gee, studio audiences are sorely missed in 2020 – but Zambia-born, Botswana-raised multiple nominee Sampa the Great just raised the temperature with an energetic performance, recorded with a full band, singers and dancers on a rooftop from Botswana.
And she even included a pointed lyric aimed straight at the ARIAs: "This industry – is it free, for people like me? Diversity, equity – in your Aria board."
That's her somewhere under that pile of material, performing the sugary-sweet single Together from her upcoming controversial movie, Music.
Delta Goodrem's done a quick costume change from her red carpet outfit for hosting duties:
Joel Creasey helps present the night's first award, clad in a skin-tight green zebra-print Kenzo playsuit.
Best Video goes to Guy Sebastian – one of the few artists actually in attendance. As he takes to the stage, he gives Creasey the once over and quips, "Greg Norman couldn't wear that."
Golfing legend Norman hit the headlines this week after posting a photo to Instagram that appeared to reveal his, ahem, large club (click if you dare).
The ARIA Awards pre-show was streamed live on YouTube earlier this afternoon, with a bunch of awards already handed out.
Also shown: the In Memoriam section, usually a sombre moment of reflection in any awards show as the industry reflects on who has been lost in the past 12 months. With some big names in Aussie music passing away in the past year, will they repeat the segment during the main event, or was that it?
Hang on: the #ARIAs put the In Memoriam section to the pre-show event on You Tube. You couldn't find a few minutes to put that on TV? Max Merritt, Bones Hillman, Greedy Smith, Helen Reddy and Mike Noga among the great names we've lost. Unless they're planning to repeat it later?
— cameron adams (@cameron_adams) November 25, 2020
Australian music royalty Missy Higgins has dropped a bombshell about the “unfortunate truth” of the country’s struggling music industry.
He took home the night’s biggest award - then Troye Sivan went rogue, telling a very candid story about his personal life.
The ARIA Awards are on in Sydney today, with barely-there outfits and international pop stars among the red carpet highlights.