{"id":426637,"date":"2026-05-14T02:59:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T02:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/426637\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T02:59:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T02:59:07","slug":"australias-independent-music-scene-is-heading-to-adelaide-for-the-20th-air-awards-as-nominees-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/426637\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s independent music scene is heading to Adelaide for the 20th AIR Awards as nominees revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/australias-independent-music-scene-is-heading-to-adelaide-for-the-20th-air-awards-as-nominees-revealed\/&amp;t=Australia\u2019s independent music scene is heading to Adelaide for the 20th AIR Awards as nominees revealed', 'facebookShare', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;\" title=\"Share on Facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>Share<\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Australia\u2019s independent music scene is heading to Adelaide for the 20th AIR Awards as nominees revealed -&amp;url=https:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/australias-independent-music-scene-is-heading-to-adelaide-for-the-20th-air-awards-as-nominees-revealed\/', 'twitterShare', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;\" title=\"Tweet This Post\"><\/p>\n<p>Tweet<\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Australia\u2019s independent music scene is heading to Adelaide for the 20th AIR Awards as nominees revealed https:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/australias-independent-music-scene-is-heading-to-adelaide-for-the-20th-air-awards-as-nominees-revealed\/\" rel=\"nofollow\"><\/p>\n<p>Share<\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/australias-independent-music-scene-is-heading-to-adelaide-for-the-20th-air-awards-as-nominees-revealed\/&amp;media=https:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Air-Awards-Adelaide-1000x600.jpg&amp;description=Australia\u2019s independent music scene is heading to Adelaide for the 20th AIR Awards as nominees revealed', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;\" title=\"Pin This Post\"><\/p>\n<p>Share<\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/glamadelaide.com.au\/australias-independent-music-scene-is-heading-to-adelaide-for-the-20th-air-awards-as-nominees-revealed\/#respond\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>Adelaide is set to be at the centre of Australia\u2019s independent music scene this July, with the nominees announced for the 20th AIR Awards.<\/p>\n<p>The Australian Independent Record Labels Association will return to Adelaide, Australia\u2019s UNESCO-designated City of Music, for the 2026 AIR Awards, which will be held at Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday 30 July as an invite-only industry event. The awards recognise and celebrate Australia\u2019s independent music sector, with this year\u2019s program bringing artists, labels, industry leaders and delegates to South Australia.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s nominees span 23 categories, covering everything from hip hop, country, pop, jazz, classical, blues and roots, children\u2019s music, heavy, dance and electronic music. New additions to the Dance\/Electronic categories include Best Independent Dance\/Club Single and Best Independent Electronic Single.<\/p>\n<p>Among the major nominees, Folk Bitch Trio, Ninajirachi, RONA. and The Belair Lip Bombs are among the acts recognised across high-profile categories, including Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year, Independent Song of the Year and Independent Album of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>Independent Song of the Year nominees include Jem Cassar-Daley for \u2018Kiss Me Like You\u2019re Leaving\u2019, Keli Holiday for \u2018Dancing2\u2019, Ninajirachi for \u2018iPod Touch\u2019, Playlunch for \u2018Keith\u2019 and Way Dynamic for \u2018Miffed It\u2019. The Independent Album of the Year category includes Folk Bitch Trio\u2019s Now Would Be A Good Time, Ninajirachi\u2019s I Love My Computer, The 046\u2019s Legacy In Motion, The Belair Lip Bombs\u2019 Again and Way Dynamic\u2019s Massive Shoe.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past two decades, the AIR Awards have recognised some of the country\u2019s most influential independent artists, including Gotye, Paul Kelly, Hilltop Hoods, The Temper Trap, Courtney Barnett, Flume, Vance Joy, G Flip, King Stingray, Dom Dolla, Amyl and the Sniffers and many more.<\/p>\n<p>The awards will be held alongside AIR\u2019s Indie-Con Australia Conference and A2IM\u2019s Indie Week Australian Edition, which will take place from Wednesday 29 July to Friday 31 July at Mercury Cinema and Nexus Arts. Early bird tickets are now on sale for the conference program.<\/p>\n<p>Minister for Arts Kyam Maher MLC said, \u201cThe South Australian Government is proud to support Indie-Con Australia and the AIR Awards, and to welcome nominees, industry leaders and delegates from across Australia and around the world to South Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHosting this celebration in Adelaide \u2013 Australia\u2019s only UNESCO City of Music \u2013 alongside A2IM\u2019s Indie Week Australian Edition reinforces South Australia\u2019s role as a national and international leader in the independent music sector.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTogether, these events recognise the outstanding contribution of independent artists and music businesses, while delivering opportunities for creative collaboration, industry development and global engagement that strengthen South Australia\u2019s creative economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 AIR Awards will be held at Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday 30 July. AIR\u2019s Indie-Con Australia Conference and A2IM\u2019s Indie Week Australian Edition will run from Wednesday 29 July to Friday 31 July.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 AIR Awards Nominees Are\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>John Butler \u2013 Prism<br \/>Folk Bitch Trio \u2013 Now Would Be a Good Time<br \/>Liz Stringer \u2013 The Second High<br \/>Melbourne Ska Orchestra \u2013 The Ballad of Monte Loco<br \/>Sons of the East \u2013 Sons<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Hip Hop Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Bliss n Eso \u2013 The Moon (The Light Side)<br \/>Devaura \u2013 Vol 1. Learning in Public<br \/>Elsy Wameyo \u2013 Wameyo<br \/>Jamaica Moana \u2013 Bud &amp; Deni<br \/>Teether &amp; Kuya Neil \u2013 Yearn IV<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Country Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Emily Lubitz \u2013 Two Black Horses<br \/>Hayley Jensen \u2013 Country Soul<br \/>Imogen Clark \u2013 Choking on Fuel<br \/>Ruby Gill \u2013 Some Kind of Control<br \/>Wade Forster \u2013 Gooseneck Party<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Jazz Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Natalie Gauci \u2013 Pictures of Mars<br \/>Phia \u2013 When I\u2019m Holding You, I\u2019m Holding Me<br \/>Temporary Blessings \u2013 Sumbisori<br \/>The Cat Empire \u2013 Bird in Paradise<br \/>Touch Sensitive \u2013 In Paradise<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Classical Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Andrea Lam \u2013 Piano Diary<br \/>Australian String Quartet \u2013 Vanessa Perica, String Quartet No. 1 No Feeling Is Final<br \/>Joseph Tawadros \u2013 The Forgotten Path to Humanity<br \/>Rose Riebl \u2013 Dust<br \/>William Barton, Omega Ensemble \u2013 Gift \u2013 Our Breath of Life<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Children\u2019s Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Diver City \u2013 Weekend Baby<br \/>Emma Memma \u2013 Dance Island Party<br \/>Justine Clarke \u2013 Mimi\u2019s Symphony<br \/>Teeny Tiny Stevies \u2013 Brain Fart<br \/>The Wiggles, The Tree of Wisdom \u2013 The Tree of Wisdom<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Dance\/Club Single<\/p>\n<p>Confidence Man, JADE \u2013 Gossip<br \/>DJ PGZ and Yikes \u2013 Ouss Ouss<br \/>FISHER \u2013 Stay<br \/>Shouse \u2013 Sunrise<br \/>VV Pete \u2013 Wassa feat. Utility, Formation Boyz<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Electronic Single<\/p>\n<p>Cosmo\u2019s Midnight \u2013 45<br \/>Keanu Nelson \u2013 Place Where I Go \/ Kapi Ngalyananni<br \/>Ninajirachi \u2013 iPod Touch<br \/>Robert Baxter &amp; Sweatbaby \u2013 Icy (Take It Off)<br \/>The Superjesus &amp; The Journey \u2013 Something Good<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Punk Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Press Club \u2013 To All the Ones I Love<br \/>Private Function \u2013 \u00af_(\u30c4)_\/\u00af<br \/>Radio Free Alice \u2013 Empty Words EP<br \/>These New South Whales \u2013 Godspeed<br \/>Wet Kiss \u2013 Thus Spoke the Broken Chanteuse<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Heavy Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Battlesnake \u2013 Dawn of the Exultants and the Hunt for the Shepherd<br \/>Hands Like Houses \u2013 Atmospherics<br \/>NPCEDE \u2013 NPCEDE<br \/>The Maggie Pills \u2013 Hearts Induring Lingering Loss<br \/>Thornhill \u2013 Bodies<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Electronic Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Essendon Airport \u2013 MOR<br \/>Mel Blue \u2013 No More Jackets Please<br \/>Ninajirachi \u2013 I Love My Computer<br \/>RONA. \u2013 It\u2019s All Here (EP)<br \/>Shouse \u2013 Collective Ecstasy<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Rock Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Playlunch \u2013 Sex Ed<br \/>Spacey Jane \u2013 If That Makes Sense<br \/>Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers \u2013 Glory<br \/>The Belair Lip Bombs \u2013 Again<br \/>The Southern River Band \u2013 Easier Said Than Done<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Soul\/RnB Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Bumpy \u2013 Kanana<br \/>Cookin\u2019 on 3 Burners \u2013 Cookin\u2019 the Books<br \/>Don West \u2013 Give Me All Your Love<br \/>Felivand \u2013 My Body\u2019s My True North<br \/>WILSN \u2013 Bloom<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Pop Album or EP<\/p>\n<p>Georgia Knight \u2013 Beanpole<br \/>Montaigne \u2013 It\u2019s Hard to Be a Fish<br \/>Stella Donnelly \u2013 Love and Fortune<br \/>The Tullamarines \u2013 Safety Blanket<br \/>Way Dynamic \u2013 Massive Shoe<\/p>\n<p>Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year \u2013 Presented by PPCA<\/p>\n<p>Folk Bitch Trio<br \/>Georgia Knight<br \/>Rageflower<br \/>RONA.<br \/>Yes Boone<\/p>\n<p>Independent Song of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Jem Cassar-Daley \u2013 Kiss Me Like You\u2019re Leaving<br \/>Keli Holiday \u2013 Dancing2<br \/>Ninajirachi \u2013 iPod Touch<br \/>Playlunch \u2013 Keith<br \/>Way Dynamic \u2013 Miffed It<\/p>\n<p>Independent Album of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Folk Bitch Trio \u2013 Now Would Be a Good Time<br \/>Ninajirachi \u2013 I Love My Computer<br \/>The 046 \u2013 Legacy in Motion<br \/>The Belair Lip Bombs \u2013 Again<br \/>Way Dynamic \u2013 Massive Shoe<\/p>\n<p>Best Independent Label<\/p>\n<p>ABC Music<br \/>Astral People Recordings<br \/>College of Knowledge<br \/>Mushroom Music<br \/>NLV Records<\/p>\n<p>Independent Marketing Team of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Mushroom Music \u2013 Bliss n Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)<br \/>NLV Records, The Orchard \u2013 Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer<br \/>Playlunch, ABC Music \u2013 Playlunch, Keith<br \/>Secretly Group \u2013 Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be a Good Time<br \/>The Annex \u2013 Ocean Alley, Love Balloon<\/p>\n<p>Independent Publicity Team of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Cult Logic \u2013 Ocean Alley, Love Balloon<br \/>Mushroom Music \u2013 Bliss n Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)<br \/>Mushroom Music \u2013 WILSN, Bloom<br \/>Twnty Three \u2013 Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be a Good Time<br \/>Twnty Three \u2013 Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer<\/p>\n<p>Independent Music Video of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Angus Wolfe PKA Ball Bass John \u2013 Ninajirachi, Fuck My Computer<br \/>Bridgette Winten, Folk Bitch Trio \u2013 Folk Bitch Trio, Cathode Ray<br \/>Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore \u2013 Miss Kaninna, Backstreets<br \/>Tas Wilson, James Adams \u2013 Jem Cassar-Daley, Kiss Me Like You\u2019re Leaving<br \/>Jasper van Daatselaar \u2013 Way Dynamic, People Settle Down<\/p>\n<p>Independent Producer of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Angus Stone \u2013 Dope Lemon, Golden Wolf<br \/>Benjamin Stewart \u2013 Slowly Slowly, Forgiving Spree<br \/>Dylan Young \u2013 Way Dynamic, Massive Shoe<br \/>Nick DiDia \u2013 Ocean Alley, Love Balloon<br \/>Nina Wilson \u2013 Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer<\/p>\n<p>Independent Mix, Studio or Mastering Engineer of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Becki Whitton, Timothy Harvey, Hannah Cameron \u2013 Ruby Gill, Some Kind of Control<br \/>Leon Zervos \u2013 Ocean Alley, Love Balloon<br \/>Michael Carpenter \u2013 Imogen Clark, Choking on Fuel<br \/>Stephen Mowat \u2013 WILSN, Bloom<br \/>Thomas Purcell PKA Wave Racer \u2013 Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767591129_601_1.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share Tweet Share Share Email Adelaide is set to be at the centre of Australia\u2019s independent music 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