It was Empire Of The Sun’s night at the 2009 ARIA Awards.
The electro maestros took home Album Of The Year, Single Of The Year (Walking On A Dream), Best Pop Release (Walking On A Dream) and Best Group.
Picking up the big one for Album Of The Year, frontman Luke Steele said: “Wow. This is such a great honour. I had to bring up my beautiful wife (on stage), my rock… This record is such a great testimony to chemistry. You can’t buy it. Like The Beatles, Nick and I had natural chemistry. I’d like to thank Nicholas Littlemore, my main collaborator. Let’s hear it for Nick.”
Picking up Single Of The Year just minutes before, he quipped: “I’m more nervous than Britney Spears in a karaoke contest. This song was like a blessing from God. A hot potato, everyone was throwing different ingredients in and it became the Master Chef song. I’d like to thank the Lord and you. Many blessings.”
It was a top night for Ladyhawke and rock legends AC/DC, too.
Ladyhawke, AKA Pip Brown, took home Breakthrough Artist Album and Breakthrough Artist Single (My Delirium). The Kiwi singer, who was uncertain whether or not to perform at the Aussie music spectacular because of an eligibility row, said: “It’s a shame that there was a bit of dark shadow cast on it. I didn’t want to offend anyone…
“I just write exactly the type of music I want to listen to myself.”
Acca Dacca, meanwhile, bagged Best Rock Album and Highest-Selling Album with ’Black Ice’.
Seven-times nominee Jessica Mauboy bagged the gong for highest-selling single for ‘Running Back’ – and performed a new versh of ‘Burn’ in a raunchy leather dress.
Earlier in the evening, Hilltop Hoods were named victors in the Best Urban category and their subsequent performance was clearly inspired by Britney Spears’s controversial stint Down Under (minus the lip-synching controversy). The lads put on a circus-themed performance with pyrotechnics galore and a contortionist who bundled herself into a very small box.
Global star Robbie Williams’ performance didn’t need any acrobatics – he went down a storm on his own. “Austraaaaaaaaalia,” he yelled as he performed ’Bodies’. The crowd went suitably crazy.
Best DVD winner Sia was gob-smacked she took home a trophy. She gasped: “I so didn’t expect to win. I didn’t even have my shoes on. Am I the first person in ARIA history to accept an award shoeless?”
Here are the winners in full:
Album of the Year
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)
Single of the Year
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)
Breakthrough Artist Album
Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke (Modular Recordings)
Breakthrough Artist Single
Ladyhawke – My Delirium (Modular Recordings)
Best Group
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)
Best Female Artist
Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night (Dew Process)
Best Male Artist
Daniel Merriweather – Love & War (Universal Music Australia)
Best Rock Album
AC/DC – Black Ice (Albert Productions/Sony Music Entertainment)
Best Pop Release
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)
Best Urban Release
Hilltop Hoods – State of the Art (Golden Era/Universal Music Australia)
Best Dance Release
The Presets – Talk Like That (Modular Recordings)
Best Blues & Roots Album
C.W. Stoneking – Jungle Blues (King Hokum Records/Shock)
Best Country Album
Troy Cassar-Daley – I Love This Place (Liberation Music)
Best Independent Release
Bertie Blackman – Secrets and Lies (Forum 5/MGM)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Josh Pyke – Chimney’s Afire (Ivy League Records)
Best DVD
Sia – TV is my Parent (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
Best Children’s Album
The Wiggles – The Wiggles Go Bananas! (ABC Music)
Best Comedy Release
Hamish and Andy – Unessential Listening (Roadshow Music/Sony Music Entertainment)
Highest Selling Single
Jessica Mauboy – Running Back (Sony)
Highest Selling Album
AC/DC – Black Ice (Albert Productions/Sony Music Entertainment)
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