Here's What Went Down At The 2016 ARIA Awards

The ARIA Awards celebrated its 30th anniversary last night, but the major prizes went to Aussie artists who weren’t even alive during the very first ceremony.

Flume, the 25-year-old Sydney DJ, swept the major categories, taking home Album of the Year for Skin, along with Best Male Artist, Best Dance Release, Best Independent Release and Best Pop Release.

Perth’s 21-year-old wunderkind Troye Sivan, meanwhile, claimed Song of the Year for “Youth” and Best Video for “Youth (Acoustic)”.

Sia collected Best Female Artist for the second time, and though she wasn’t present to accept, marriage equality advocate Angie Greene took to the stage on her behalf, as well as that of “every single non-hetero and gender diverse person who can currently not marry the person that they love in this country.”

Kylie Minogue and her fiancé Joshua Sasse, also fighting for marriage equality, reiterated the message at the event.

It wasn’t the only political topic broached during the broadcast. Flume argued against Sydney’s lockout laws, asking politicians to “keep Sydney open so that the young artists of the next generation can have the same opportunities that I had."

Montaigne, having been named 2016’s Breakout Artist, collected her gong with “People Over Profit” written across her chest.

She spoke specifically to NSW government: "If you're going to prioritise the casinos and residential development and all that bull****, over the art scene that we have … surely at least you can strike a balance," she said.

Elsewhere: Violent Soho was recognised for Best Group and Best Rock Album, for Waco, while Drapht was awarded Best Urban Album for Seven Mirrors. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Nonagon Infinity earned them Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album and Sara Storer’s Silos was championed as Best Country Album.

The latest releases from Sarah Blasko and Bernard Fanning notched them Best Adult Alternative Album and Best Adult Contemporary Album, respectively, while The Hilltop Hoods were named Best Australian Live Act.

The Wiggles won their 13th prize for Best Children’s Album and One Direction set a record by collecting their fifth consecutive prize in the publicly-voted Best International Artist category.

Crowded House was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the ceremony, performing alongside Missy Higgins and Bernard Fanning to commemorate the honour.

The Veronicas hosted proceedings - replacing Delta Goodrem at the last minute - opening with a body-painted rendition of “In My Blood”. Unfortunately, a technical mishap that interfered with the sound mix meant they had to repeat their performance for attendees; when the show was broadcast on Channel Ten two hours later, viewers only saw the final, non-glitchy product.

THE VERONICAS ARE ABSOLUTE ICONS #ARIAs https://t.co/ZP4MquYSxK

— Ti Butler (@tibutler) November 23, 2016

They wrapped up proceedings by welcoming John Farnham to the stage for “You’re The Voice.” Everyone loved it.

According to TV Tonight, with 586,000 viewers, it was the most watched ARIA Awards in six years.

Photo: Channel Ten