THE CORNER HOTEL GOES OFF AS AIR CELEBRATES OUR BEST INDEPENDENT TALENT

The Herd and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu were the big winners at the Jagermeister AIR AWARDS held last night at Melbourne's Corner Hotel.

700 hundred guests and punters crammed into one of Melbourne's homes of independent music to witness The Herd take out the AIR's coveted Best Independent Artist award. The award coincides with The Herd's self managed label Elefant Traks celebrating it's tenth birthday over weekend and topped off a magnificent evening for the 8 piece collective after they gave a showstopping performance and took out the award for Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album. 

Another performer during the evening, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu continued his remarkable rise as a solo artist by collecting awards for Best Blues and Roots Album, Best New Independent Artist and the hotly contested Best Independent Album for his beautiful debut Gurrumul.

Attendees were treated to an incredible line up of performers. The Getaway Plan kicked the evening off with a bang, performing When The City Meets the Sea, which later took out the award for best independent single. Lior and Felicity Urquhart showed why they are considered some of Australia's finest songwriters and Grafton Primary had the room pumping with their breakthrough single Relativity. 

Proudly independent Canadian Martha Wainwright teamed up with The Drones to perform a soulful version of How To Mend A Broken Heart by The Bee Gees followed by a scorching take on Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' not so uplifting  Long Train Suffering.

The event which was in turns quirkily and hilariously hosted by Channel V's Jane Gazzo and Bluejuice's frontman Jake Stone ended with a magnificent set from DIY garage rockers and crowd favorites Eddy Current Suppression Ring who had previously taken out Best Independent Hard Rock/Punk album for their latest offering Primary Colours.

Thanks to all those who attended the awards, and congratulations to the nominees and winners.

THE WINNERS

Best Independent Artist
The Herd (Elefant Traks/Inertia)

Best Independent Album
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Gurrumul (Skinnyfish Music/MGM)

Best Independent Single/EP
The Getaway Plan - Where the City Meets The Sea (Boomtown Records/Shock)

Best New Independent Artist
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (Skinnyfish Music/MGM)

Best Independent Hard Rock/Punk Album
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours (Aarght Records/Shock)

Best Independent Urban/Hip Hop Album
The Herd – Summerland (Elefant Traks/Inertia)

Best Independent Country Album
Bec Willis - Bec Willis (Independent/Shock)

Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album
Peret Mako - The Devil is in the Detail (Future Classic/Inertia)

Best Australian Independent Blues/Roots Album
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Gurrumul (Skinnyfish Music/MGM)

Best Australian Independent Jazz Album
Tina Harrod - Worksongs (Independent/Vitamin)