The final of the first Australian Music Prize took place in Sydney this week, and Melbourne band The Drones were named as the overall winners from a previously announced shortlist of eight.
As previously reported, the AMP is basically an Australian version of the UK's Mercury Music Prize, with a panel of 60 music types, including journalists, artists and industry people, picking what they consider to be the best album from an Australian band in the last twelve months. 300 albums were eligible for the award.
The independently signed The Drones seemed surprised by their win, and told reporters that the Aus $25,000 prize money would come in very helpful. The Australian newspaper quotes bass player Fiona Kitschin as saying: "When you haven't got the big record company bucks behind you, you sort of just have to get out there. That is why the $25,000 will come in really handy, just to work on getting known. The money will go to just touring and fixing broken instruments and stuff like that. One of the guys broke his guitar string the other day and we've got broken pedals and things. It can be really expensive."
FYI - the final eight up for the prize were as follows:
TZU - Smiling At Strangers
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Ben Lee - Awake Is The New Asleep
The Devastations - Coal
Tex, Don and Charlie - All Is Forgiven
The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart
The Mess Hall - Notes From A Ceiling
The Drones - Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By