The music community gathered at Woodville Town Hall on Wednesday night to award the best local talent and industry professionals across a range of categories in the SA Music Awards.

First Nations hip hop group DEM MOB took home five awards including best regional artist, best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist and the people’s choice category for best hip hop.

DEM MOB also took home the prestigious Emily Burrows Award – named for local music-lover and music industry professional who tragically died in a freak Adelaide Hills storm in 2000.

The award, which includes a $5000 professional development grant, puts DEM MOB in good company with former winners including Molly Rocket, Electric Fields, and even Hilltop Hoods.

In addition to their blossoming live music career – which earlier in 2023 made them the first Aboriginal act to perform in Spain’s Primavera Sound festival – DEM MOB also have a program that won them Best Music Educator.

Their Kurunpa Kunpuntjaku program is run in the APY Lands and Ceduna, engaging First Nations students in the curriculum using music as a culturally responsive pedagogy.

“The time we were spent in the APY lands allowed us to hone and develop our craft and develop a vision and a platform for the Kurunpa Kunpuntjaku program,” DEM MOB says.

“The Awards do enable us to shine a spotlight on the opportunities offered to regional communities and artists.”

Paul Kelly treating the crowd to a new song

The Empty Threats, who were nominated in six award categories, took home two; best new artist and best song for ‘Evil Eye’ off their latest album Monster Truck Mondays.

As well as being CityMag’s go to Friday knock-off spot, the Crown & Anchor picked up best live music venue at the awards.

On the festival front, Some Shine took home the best small music festival or event award, with the inaugural Vintage Vibes taking home best major music festival or event (psst…we also know the lineup for next year’s Vintage Vibes).

Paul Kelly, who most recently performed his hits for Harvest Rock  was inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame. For the awards night, he treated the music-loving industry insider crowd to performances of the 1974 track ‘The Streets of Forbes’ and a new song ‘Going Down the River With Dad’ that’s never before been played live.

Other performers at the awards night included aleksiah, The Empty Threats, Carla Lippis + Mondo Psycho and Nathan May.

MusicSA CEO Christine Schloithe says this year’s awards garnered record voting numbers in the peoples choice categories along with a “groundswell” of support within the industry.

“This year’s SA Music Awards have been fiercely contested with some categories literally decided by one or two votes,” Christine says.

“We celebrate the Award winners and congratulate all nominees-the bar was set very high this year!”

Check out the full list of winners below.

Cheer for local talent

BEST SONG

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WINNER: The Empty Threats – Evil Eye
Coldwave – Buster
Kultar Ahluwalia – Pen Pals featuring Jack Vaul and DJ Hob G
MANE – Breathing Again
Molly Rocket – Rabbit Hole
Nathan May – It’s Gotta Start Somewhere

BEST NEW ARTIST

WINNER: The Empty Threats
Coldwave
DEM MOB
Molly Rocket
The 745

BEST REGIONAL ARTIST

WINNER: DEM MOB
Alana Jagt
Brave Mistakes
Germein
Stokes

BEST GROUP

WINNER: Bad//Dreems
Coldwave
Molly Rocket
Slowmango
The Empty Threats

BEST ABORIGINAL OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ARTIST

WINNER: DEM MOB
Electric Fields
Eskatology
Nathan May
Rob Edwards

BEST SOLO ARTIST

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WINNER: Alana Jagt
Alexander Flood
Lucas Day
Nathan May
Ryan Martin John

BEST RELEASE

WINNER: Slowmango – Hypercolour Miscellaneous
Alexander Flood – Oscillate
Bad//Dreems – Hoo Ha!
Carla Lippis & Mondo Psycho – Carla Lippis – Mondo Psycho
Molly Rocket – Syrup
Nathan May – It’s Gotta Start Somewhere
The Empty Threats – Monster Truck Mondays
The Shaolin Afronauts – The Fundamental Nature of Being, Parts One – Five: Limited Edition 5 x LP
West Thebarton – Victory EP

INDUSTRY AWARDS

BEST STUDIO

WINNER: Wundenbergs
Cactus Cactus Sound
Forest Range Studios
Interim Recording Studios
Wizard Tone Studios

BEST STUDIO ENGINEER OR PRODUCER

WINNER: Lewis Wundenberg
Lucinda Machin
Mario Spate
Matthew Schultz
Ryan Martin John

BEST LIVE TECHNICIAN

WINNER: Nathan D’Agostino
Luke Hancock
Michael Wickens
Ryan Martin John

BEST SMALL FESTIVAL OR EVENT

WINNER: Some Shine Festival
Big Easy Blues
Space Jams (Alma’s Hem)

BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL OR EVENT

WINNER: Vintage Vibes Festival
Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival
Caltowie Chilled Out n’ Fired Up Festival
Froth & Fury Fest
Nice Day To Go To The Club Festival

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE

WINNER: Crown And Anchor
Hindley Street Music Hall
The Gov
The Grace Emily

BEST REGIONAL VENUE OR ACTIVATION

WINNER: Adelaide Guitar Festival – On the Road 2023
Big Easy Radio
Murray Delta Juke Joint
Space Jams

BEST COVER ART

WINNER: Kaspar Schmidt Mumm & The Bait Fridge  (Hypercolour Miscellaneous by Slowmango)
Alana Jagt (Goodbye Grote Bollen by Alana Jagt)
Jonathan Van Der Knaap and Henry Jarman (Hard To Make Plans by Naomi Keyte)
Gaz Kanata (Monster Truck Mondays by The Empty Threats)
Ashley Giles (When We Are by Tonix)

BEST MANAGER 

WINNER: Rachel Whitford (27 Music)
Bianca Nilsson (Renegade Records)
Hannah Louise
Sebastian James (27 Music)
Tayla Carlaw

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

WINNER: Conor Mercury Movies (Bill’s by Carla Geneve)
Conor Mercury Movies (Evil Eye by The Empty Threats)
Capital Waste Pictures (Soul of the Lion by DEM MOB)
The Bait Fridge (Blob Funk by Slowmango)

BEST MUSIC EDUCATOR

WINNER: DEM MOB’s Kurunpa Kunpuntjaku (SAMii)
Adrian Whalland
Allye Sinclair
SA Youth Guitar Ensemble (SAYGE)
Naomi Keyte

SPECIAL AWARDS 

NEVILLE CLARK AWARD

WINNERS: Todd Pergallini & Jase Ess

EMILY BURROWS AWARD

WINNER: DEM MOB

BEST INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

WINNER: Adam Page

COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

WINNER: Girls Rock! Adelaide

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

MOST POPULAR BLUES & ROOTS

WINNER: Dojo Rise

MOST POPULAR COUNTRY

WINNER: Mark Curtis and the Flannelettes

MOST POPULAR ELECTRONIC

WINNER: Electric Fields

MOST POPULAR EXPERIMENTAL OR ART MUSIC

Winner: SONS OF ZÖKU

MOST POPULAR FOLK

WINNER: Ukulele Death Squad

MOST POPULAR HEAVY

WINNER: Stabbitha and the Knifey Wifeys

MOST POPULAR HIP HOP

WINNER: DEM MOB

MOST POPULAR JAZZ

WINNER: 5 SIDED CUBEMOST

POPULAR POP

WINNER: The Tullamarines

MOST POPULAR PUNK

WINNER: Teenage Joans

MOST POPULAR ROCK

WINNER: Mums Favourite

MOST POPULAR SOUL, FUNK OR RNB

WINNER: Mum Thinks Blue