The 13th annual edition of the Gala alternatif de la musique indépendante du Québec (GAMIQ) was held Nov. 25, 2018, at Montréal’s Café Campus. All told, 29 Lucien Awards – the trophy named in honour of the frontman of legendary band Aut’Chose, Lucien Francoeur – were presented during the event. The evening was also the occasion of a well-deserved homage to Grim Skunk, on the band’s 30th anniversary of making no-compromise rock music.

No artist came out on top in terms of their number of wins, because this year, the gala made a conscious effort to distribute the awards in a more targeted way. Among the most coveted awards, Milk & Bone won Artist of the Year, and rap duo Seba & Horg won Song of the Year for their hit “Vintage à l’os.” The Breakthrough Artist Award went to Les Louanges, the Pop Album of the Year was presented to Lydia Képinski’s Premier juin, and the Artist of the Year – Public Choice went to Fouki.

The evening was hosted by duo Sèxe Illégal, while the musical accompaniment was in the very eclectic hands of Crabe. As usual, several performances underscored Québec’s rich and  diverse independent music scene, including those by Random Recipe, Sonido PESAO, Donzelle, Alex Burger, K-Iri, L’amalgame, VICTIME, Marie-Gold, Silver Dapple, Robert Fusil et les chiens fous, Renard Blanc, Tu/Lips, and Of Course, who performed between the award presentations, which celebrate the vitality of Québec’s emerging music scene.

Here is the full list of award winners at the 13th annual GAMIQ:

Artist of the Year: Milk & Bone
Artist of the Year – Public Choice: Fouki
Pop Album of the Year: Lydia Képinski – Premier juin
Indie Rock Album of the Year: Mon Doux Saigneur – Mon Doux Saigneur
Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year: Eman X Vlooper – La Joie
Folk Album of the Year: Maude Audet – Comme une odeur de déclin
Rock Album of the Year: Keith Kouna – Bonsoir shérif
Electronic Album of the Year: Ouri – Ouri/Mind Bath
Pop EP of the Year: Rosie Valland – Synchro
Rap/Hip-Hop EP of the Year: Marie-Gold – Goal: Une mélodie
Indie Rock EP of the Year: Duu – Contre-Cycles
Folk EP of the Year: Helena Deland – Altogether Unaccompanied Vol. I & II
Rock EP of the Year: Fuudge – Man!
Electronic EP of the Year: Apashe – Requiem
Punk Album or EP of the Year: Oktoplut – Démon Normal
Metal Album or EP of the Year: Get the Shot – Infinite Punishment
Post-Rock/Post-Punk Album or EP of the Year: Victime – La femme-taupe
World Music Album or EP of the Year: Papagroove – The Hunt
Jazz Album or EP of the Year: Hugo Blouin – Charbonneau ou Les valeurs à’ bonne place, Volume 1
Experimental Album or EP of the Year: Martin Lizotte – Ubiquité
Artist of the Year: Milk & Bone
Concert of the Year: Grim Skunk
Breakout Artist of the Year: Les Louanges
Song of the Year: Vintage à l’os – Seba & Horg
Video of the Year: WD-40 – La Forêt
Album Illustration of the Year: Poni  – Album complet
Radio Station of the Year: CISM
Venue of the Year: Quai des Brumes – Montréal
Digital Media of the Year: Ecoutedonc.ca
Festival of the Year La noce – Saguenay
Homage 2018: Grim Skunk