The Necks - featuring bassist Lloyd Swanton from Wentworth Falls - have been presented with the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music.
They are the first band to receive the award, as determined by the APRA (The Australasian Performing Right Association) board of writer and publisher directors. They were presented with the honour at the 2019 Art Music Awards ceremony on Monday August 19 at Sydney University.
The band has a three decade long career (and 20 albums) and has carved out a unique space in the music scene, walking the line between avant garde and improvisation, while still paying homage to jazz. The success of their work on the AFI-nominated soundtrack for the 1988 film, The Boys, saw the rest of the world catch on, and the group embarked on a series of European tours which continue to the present day.
The band includes Chris Abrahams on piano, Tony Buck on drums and Lloyd Swanton on bass. The line-up has remained the same.
Richard Gill was a renowned Australian conductor who died in 2018. The 9th annual Art Music Awards were hosted by Jonathan Biggins.
