The Cairns Post Hit Awards 2013 winners announced at gala event at Gilligan's
THE Far North's vibrant entertainment and arts scene celebrated its night of nights on Saturday, with hundreds lining the main room of Gilligan's for The Cairns Post Hit Awards 2013.
In their fourth year, the region’s premiere entertainment and arts awards didn’t disappoint, with a vocal crowd cheering on all this year’s nominees, alongside top live performances by The Montgomery Brothers, Louarde, Zilch and The Hillbilly Goats to keep the party rocking until the end.
The Montgomery Brothers and The Hillbilly Goats also both also went on to win the Best Local Solo or Duo and Best Local Group categories, which receive the largest amount of votes out of any section of the awards.
DJ DMH won Best Local DJ or Producer, another highly coveted category.
In the venues section, both Gilligan’s and Tanks Arts Centre made it four years in a row in the Best Nightclub and Best Entertainment Venue (non-pub or nightclub) categories respectively, while Salt House regained their crown in the Best Bar section after winning in 2009 and 2010.
The Union Jack was the only venue to have never won an award before, taking out Best Pub ahead of stiff competition from Cairns Courthouse Hotel, Rattle’n’Hum and The Red Beret.
Gus Fernandez from The Union Jack said that he and his team were humbled by the win, and look forward to another big and diverse year in entertainment this year.
“It hasn’t been an easy road for us, so we’re extremely grateful for all the support from the local community,” Mr Fernandez said.
“It’s been one of the hardest slogs of our life to bring this business up from the ground, so to win is a great honour. It’s been a massive team effort, thanks to the whole team at The Jack.”
UK folk heroes Mumford & Sons obviously impressed local audiences with their sell-out show at Kuranda Amphitheatre in October last year, taking out both Best Touring Group and the Best Festival or Major Event for Kuranda Amphitheatre, while Pete Murray was the favourite in the Best Touring Solo Artist or Duo.
Gold Coast duo The Stafford Brothers were named Best Touring DJs or Producers.
In the arts section, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair made it two years in a row in the Best Art Show or Exhibition category after another successful event in 2012, while Cairns Choral Society again took out the Best Theatre or Dramatic Performance for their rendition of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates Of Penzance. Carl Barron’s One Ended Stick was named Best Comedy Show.
In one of the biggest surprises of the awards, Australian film The Sapphires won Best Film, ahead of big ticket blockbusters like The Avengers, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises and Les Miserables.
The Cairns Post Hit Awards were decided via a reader survey on cairns.com.au/entertainment during the months of January and February.
With 24,166 votes received, this year was the biggest vote in four years of the awards.
THE CAIRNS POST HIT AWARDS 2013 WINNERS
LOCAL MUSIC
Best Local Group: The Hillbilly Goats
Best Local Solo or Duo: The Montgomery Brothers
Best Local DJ or Producer: DMH
NATIONAL MUSIC
Best Touring Group: Mumford & Sons
Best Touring Solo or Duo: Pete Murray
Best Touring DJ or Producer: The Stafford Brothers
VENUES
Best Entertainment Venue: Tanks Arts Centre
Best Nightclub: Gilligan's
Best Bar: Salt House
Best Pub: The Union Jack
EVENTS & ARTS
Best Festival/Major Event: Mumford & Sons Gentlement Of The Road Tour
Best Art Show or Exhibition: Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
Best Comedy Show: Carl Barron - A One Ended Stick at Cairns Convention Centre
Best Theatre or Dramatic Performance: Cairns Choral Society's The Pirates Of Penzance
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Big win: The Hillbilly Goats took out the coveted Best Local Group category in The Hit Awards. Picture: Jilara Kuch
Deadly duo: The Montgomery Brothers, aka Damion Jones and Ryo Montgomery, won Best Local Solo or Duo. Picture: Jilara Kuch
