What is the Mercury Prize?

:jek

Who's on the jury? Simon Frith, who is Professor Of Pop somewhere or other, a few industry types, a few musicians, a couple of journalists. Every year I think "Right this will be the year I write that blazing letter to S.Frith which will shame him into representing the REAL FANS i.e. putting ME on the panel". And obviously I don't actually do it.

This bollocks again:

2014 Mercury Prize nominations:

FKA Twigs – LP1
Young Fathers – Dead
East India Youth – Total Strife Forever
Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
Anna Calvi – One Breath
GoGo_Penguin. – v2.0
Nick Mulvey – First Mind
Jungle – Jungle
Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
Polar Bear – In Each and Every One
Kate Tempest – Everybody Down
Royal Blood – Royal Blood

cockroach mercury prize

i think 2014 is the year when i finally am just aware that these band names exist and blissfully oblivious of what sort of noise they might make

ik royal blood and.....blur

Young Fathers – Dead

sort of thinking about seeing what this is

POLAR BEAR FTW

Dead is the debut studio album by Scottish hip hop group Young Fathers. It was released on Anticon and Big Dada on February 4, 2014.

reckon twigs might be a good bet

POLAR BEAR FTW

they always get nommed amirite?

the horribly named GoGo Penguin are jazz too, maybe this is a jazz year

It's their second nomination - last was 2005 for Held On The Tips Of Fingers. Seb has been involved in other records that have been nominated though.

Was hoping Neil Cowley would get the token jazz nod, shame he's missed out.

Damon Albarn favourite apparently.

The only one's I've heard are FKA Twigs and Jungle.

TWIGS TWIGS TWIGS TWIGS

not a massive fan of that record but it's infinitely more agreeable than the other stuff I've heard off this list

have given east india youth a few plays and i don't really get it, but it seems vastly preferable to the likes of james blake as far as earnest synthsmithery types go

royal blood seems like the proxy alex turner option, screw that imo

gogo penguin make some clever music but it's polite and tasteful to the point of frigidity

is the anna calvi any better than her previous? that never really lived up to the (admittedly modest) hype

still need to give the kate tempest a proper listen, not much of a fan of her voice though

have no interest in hearing nick mulvey - nick is kind of a boring name tbh, puts me right off

fuck off damon albarn forever

listening to the damon albarn. jesus man what's happened to you

'mr tembo' might be the worst thing i've ever heard

like, this is the guy who once upon a time, when he wanted to knock out something a bit spiritual, would make something as genuinely beautiful, soaring & poignant as 'black book'. now reduced to this. it's embarrassing

otm. dreary shit from what i've heard. baffled that he's even nominated.

the first half of 'you and me' was actually kinda good, but then hey presto, back to platitudinous cheesy fucking bilge in the guise of emotive progression. fuck you damon albarn

lj as an openly anticon man, have u heard the young fathers lp

no but lol

def jux >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anticon imo

I like the Young Fathers alright (stumbled into it on Spotify one night), but it's not award-worthy in any context.

where's the shambhala on here

charli xcx is an improvement on 100% of these nominations afaict

The last Charli album is from 2012 and the new one's not out yet.

maybe it could be award worthy in a 'best scottish rap album' context?

ya i know but i was making a weird qualitative observation xp

lol scottish rap lived and died with the beta band rap

Inverness is perhaps the most overlooked area of Scottish Hip Hop though acts such as Spit-Dis and T-E-C were prominent in the Highlands & Islands. Spit-Dis consists of Brude(Glass Cage), John-Boi (Focus on the Day), KD (Life is a Game) and Sherbit(Hip-Hop). Their most misunderstood track "Morgue City", highlighted the high suicide rate in the North's capital. The members of T-E-C, Mgoff and Paul Scotti are perhaps most recognised for their tracks "Don't Doubt The Flow", "These Parts" and "The Movement". In an area disproportionately dominated by traditional Highland music and Rock bands, these groups are particularly influential in the local and national scene in a way which was previously unassociated with artists from this area.[citation needed]

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/15016128420_0b22fcfa65_b.jpg

has since been altered to this http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/10/in-praise-of-sleaford-mods

suspect whoever wrote it misread an article in their own paper, printed yesterday, in which one of the posters itt said that he'd like to see them nominated. great work all round

shithappens

The Kate Tempest record is super duper.

Also, another vote for Mr. Tenbo as the worst thing ever. Even worse than him singing about cellphones.

Many xposts: last Charli album is actually 2013 but would be outside the allotted time period.

Lots of surprising omissions incl. Sam Smith, Chvrches, Blood Orange and La Roux. Twigs to win in a landslide.

lol True Romance must have leaked crazy early, because I'm always associating it with xmas 2012.

I don't know why I am always shocked Actress is never on these lists.

the anna calvi record is good

Just imagine if Actress won the Mercury prize, jesus....

critically acclaimed producer wins "credible" music prize would not be that astonishing

not enough clear world music influences i reckon.

The shortlist could have been better.

But it also could have been a lot worse.

Kate Tempest, I think, works better as a poet than as a rapper.

Two jazz nominations and wouldn’t it be nice if – for once – one of them won?

East India Youth is great although I felt there were a few too many instrumentals on the album whereas I'd heard the majority of the song-based tracks on the preceding Hostel EP. Still a good record though and well worth seeing live in the right context.

Yeah the Kate Tempest album is interesting but selling her as a rap artist is largely going to invite derision and confusion I fear. I definitely think of her as a performance poet who is influenced by rap and it's certainly a better way to approach that album in the first instance.

I like the production on the Young Fathers record (esp. the Knife-y backing on "Get Up") but the rapping is really dodgy. Cod-profundity wrapped in "clever" gibberish. Who was it that said something like: alliteration is the last refuge of the person with nothing to say?

Siegfried Sassoon

^actual lols.

I was kind of skeptical while listening to the Kate Tempest album until I hit "Lonely Daze", which is flat-out fantastic and made the previous songs click into place for me.

can see why she would want to avoid the "a bit shit" connotations of "performance poet"

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/mercury-music-prize-2014-who-should-win-from-ed-sheeran-to-jake-bugg-9714800.html

Andy Gill's article seems to have a somewhat different list to the official.

(I was pondering what was happening to Roy Harper's case, which was supposed to have been heard in August, but nothing has been stated it seems)

Is this meant to be an alternative list? Cos he doesn't say that anywhere. And the list's half the same as the official one? In know The Independent's gone rapidly down hill in terms of fact checking and quality and stuff, but this is just... weird?

"The Independent’s chief rock critic makes his own nominations"

Aha! I didn't read that cos it was under a picture of Ed Sheeran.

Tempest:
Yeah. "Lonely Daze" is pretty fantastic. Maybe track of the year for me.
The album lyrics as a whole are fantastic too. Concept album in the best sense.

xp agree it's a dumb list though - lots of the same things as the official, some of the fringe stuff switched for more populist fare plus a few random folky choices. thanks for saving music andy!

lj as an openly anticon man, have u heard the young fathers lp

― Nothing less than the Spirit of the Age (nakhchivan), Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:55 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

i suppose i'll 'have to' now

Listening on Spotify. I like it.

undie, the sound of 2014

Young Fathers are ace. Best thing to come out of Scotland for years. They won the Scottish Album of the Year in June with Tape Two, their 2013 EP, shielding the prize from shit like Biffy Clyro and Frightened Rabbit.

nah that was rly boring sry

thought the twilight sad were the scottish indie band to keep an eye on ;)

if you like beardy sentimental gunge rock

haw

probably otm, except they also started ripping off portishead on the last one

Maybe, i just dismiss this rubbish without listening nowadays. Scottish music is the worst: Frightened Rabbit, Admiral Fallow, Fake Major, Twin Atlantic, French Wives, Mersault... there are thousands of bands that sound like this up here, all getting 5-star reviews from The Skinny.

and a hyperbolic 35-post thread on drownedinsound.com

It's a real shame that the Twilight Sad are lumped in with the rest of that scene because they're much better than their contemporaries.

Is The Twilight Sad album any good? I was kinda put off by the huge DiS 10/10 masterpiece and associated articles histrionics

Also wonder what kind of sales bump Young Fathers will get as it appears they've only sold 2,500 copies of their LP pre-award

Is The Twilight Sad album any good? I was kinda put off by the huge DiS 10/10 masterpiece and associated articles histrionics

I just listened to about three songs off it (private session of course) because of boxedjoy's complaint that I'd unfairly lumped them in with the other Scottish gits. To be fair, it wasn't as bad as a lot of them. It just sounds like The National/Interpol/Editors kinda stuff - pure porridge music, but a lot of people like that.

I quite liked the first twilight Sad album. Produced by Peter Katis, who did a couple of National albums. Very strong Scottish accent and lyrics about being a miserable adolescent, which I found unusually affecting, plus great big swirls of guitar.

Young Fathers are the MMP nominees that I most wanted to hear out of the ones I hadn't heard.

First Twilight Sad album miles and miles better than The National and suchlike. Will have to hear this new one to judge it.

To paraphrase a recent Telegraph article about the Mercury - why does so much British music sound like it was made as part of some community centre youth project?

nanny state socialism

Because Bruce Springsteen is American.

I hate all that beardy boo-hoo Scottish indie-rock pish too. It's just as well there's lots of other stuff going on up here. Quite nice to see YF win in that respect, although it could be argued they're the hip-hop equivalent with their earnest emo soul. That's a bit of a glib analogy though. Some nice tunes, if not the greatest rappers - Hector Bizerk and Loki are much stronger in that respect.
High time Alasdair Roberts was nominated for the Mercury - mind you, he didn't even make the Scottish Album of the Year longlist, thanks to everyone voting for dreary bawbags like Frabbit, Biffy and Twin Atlantic.

I can't imagine anything called 'The Twilight Sad' possibly being good.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/29/quarter-of-mercury-prize-finalists-sold-under-1000-albums-since-nomination

just got a mailshot thing from Big Dada which mentioned the award in a kind of afterthought way, after hyping up the new Wiley album. good attitude tbh

I haven't actually heard the new Twilight Sad album yet so I can't comment on it, but so far they've been very strong even if their debut stands heads and shoulders above the rest.

a new fucking low

finally some recognition for ed sheeran

the ceremony should be richard dawson gunging the entire shortlist* and voting panel get-your-own-back-style then running off with the trophy

*stormzy and j hus exempted

guys guys guys

you're right, you're right

leave the Mercury outrage to that angry young firebrand Petridis. Tbh I hope Sheeran wins it!

Blossoms?? what the f

vera lynn snubbed again, a travesty

sorry, dame vera lynn

VL is 2 black, 2 strong!

bass for your face london

could someone just post the danged list

The Dinosaur album is worthwhile.

Mercury prize 2017 shortlist

Alt-J: Relaxer
The Big Moon: Love in the 4th Dimension
Blossoms: Blossoms
Loyle Carner: Yesterday’s Gone
Dinosaur: Together, As One
Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being
J Hus: Common Sense
Sampha: Process
Ed Sheeran: ÷
Stormzy: Gang Signs & Prayer
Kate Tempest: Let Them Eat Chaos
The xx: I See You

thx Nick

I know nothing of any of these:

The Big Moon: Love in the 4th Dimension
Blossoms: Blossoms
Loyle Carner: Yesterday’s Gone
Dinosaur: Together, As One
Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being

Dinosaur looks like their obligatory concession to jazz, the rest is undoubtedly fucking awful indie bollocks

dinosaur jr used to be called dinosaur until they got sued by a band called the dinosaurs who are these young upstarts why they oughta throw them in jail

Blossoms?? what the f

There's always a token gaz nomination iirc

loooool

lol! excellent wins!

I have The Big Moon in my 'to listen to' Spotify pile based on a recommendation from someone I trust. Currently playing Dizzee tho' so they'll have to wait.

I like the Kate Tempest record

not been a good ilx lynching in a while

that anti-austerity poem Katie did at Glastonbury, almost made me want to change my name by deed poll to Tory Bastard.

:D

Ha!

another shitparade

ah imagine a Chelsea Boot being stomped on a human face forever but nobody's actually watching it

Arctic Monkeys – ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’
Everything Everything – ‘A Fever Dream’
Everything is Recorded – ‘Everything is Recorded’
Florence + The Machine – ‘High as Hope’
Jorja Smith – ‘Lost & Found’
King Krule – ‘The Ooz’
Lily Allen – ‘No Shame’
Nadine Shah – ‘Holiday Destination’
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – ‘Who Built the Moon?’
Novelist – ‘Novelist Guy’
Sons of Kemet – ‘Your Queen is a Reptile’
Wolf Alice – ‘Visions of a Life’

https://ak4.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/24589934/thumb/1.jpg

Of those I’ve heard, really like the Sons of Kemet and Arctic Monkeys LPs.

Is XL the label with the most nominations at this stage, or the most regularly nominated?

That Sons of Kemet record is very good indeed.

god that jorja smith album is so boring. let's eat grandma were robbed here

Many were robbed tbh

It's a pointless charade though really

xp They made the Twenty Quid Music Prize shortlist though:

Love Lasts Forever by All Saints
One Kiss by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa
Pat Earrings by CASISDEAD
Solo by Clean Bandit and Demi Lovato
Waking Up Slow by Gabrielle Aplin
Paradise by George Ezra
Falling Into Me by Let’s Eat Grandma
Word Of Mouth by Metroplane and Bree Runway
All Or Nothing by Naughty Boy, RAY BLK and Wyclef
Do It by Rae Morris
Anywhere by Rita Ora
Dancefloor by Tracey Thorn

As a list it’s pretty much exactly the shade of beige you’d expect

That Twenty Quid thing is just as bad lol

have knowingly enjoyed sons of kemet & nadine shah.

This would be a really good year to give the award to the 'token' jazz album. Not only is Sons of Kemet brilliant, they are also fairly well known, no?

(Not saying that the jazz albums are 'token' nominees, but they never seem to win)

I thought the Binker and Moses alb was pretty fab as well, in fact UK jazz is pretty good at the moment - but these clowns never seem to have more than one token jazz nom.

The Wolf Alice record is fucking awesome.

words i never expected to see in that configuration, vol 276

The fact that British jazz is actually fashionable right now (look at the Friday on this year's Field Day lineup if you don't believe me) suggests it might actually win for once.

Hopefully so, Matt!

The Independent headline :

The Mercury Prize is still struggling to acknowledges innovative UK music

none of these artists aren't English

The Wolf Alice record is fucking awesome.

― how's life, Thursday, July 26, 2018 6:08 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm

The jazz terrorists have won.

The Mercury Prize is moving to Newcastle for the awards’ first ceremony outside London
Newcastle’s Utilita Arena will host the prestigious Mercury Prize music awards ceremony in October 2025, marking its first-ever location outside London.
https://readdork.com/news/mercury-prize-newcastle-2025/?fsp_sid=3665

Sam Fender FTW

10.30 am the Shortlist will be announced on 6 Music:

The journey to Newcastle begins next week.

The twelve Albums of the Year will be announced live on @BBC6Music from 10:30am on Wednesday 10th September.#MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/z0B6Ryi5lP

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 4, 2025

This Judging Panel:

https://www.mercuryprize.com/news/2025-mercury-prize-details-revealed

The Mercury Prize 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ will be announced exclusively live on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds from 10:30am on Wednesday 10th September.

Each year, the shortlist is curated by an independent judging panel of music industry professionals who are eternally passionate about spotlighting artistic achievement across a range of genres. The 2025 Mercury Prize judges are: Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer; Jamie Cullum - Musician & Radio 2 Broadcaster; Jamz Supernova – Radio 6 Music Presenter; Jeff Smith - Head of Music, Radio 2 & Radio 6 Music; Lea Stonhill – Music Programming Consultant; Mistajam – Songwriter, DJ & Broadcaster; Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo; Sian Eleri – Radio 1 Broadcaster & DJ; Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times; Sophie Williams – Music Writer & Broadcaster. The Chair of the judging team is Jeff Smith.

Mercury Prize 2025: see the eligibility dates for this year’s albums

https://www.nme.com/news/music/mercury-prize-2025-shortlist-elibible-dates-best-albums-3889195

This year’s period of eligibility for albums is over a month longer, with the records needing to have been released between Saturday July 13, 2024, and Friday August 29, 2025.

Far Out staff pick their Mercury Prize nominees for 2025

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/far-out-mercury-prize-nominess/

Waxing Lyrical

Mercury Prize 2025 shortlist predictions – or just my favourites?

https://readwaxinglyrical.co.uk/2025/09/02/mercury-prize-2025-shortlist/

announced:

Introducing the artists behind the 2025 Mercury Prize Albums of the Year! ✨@cmatbaby @ejthackray @FKAtwigs @fontainesdublin
Jacob Alon@_joe_webb_
Martin Carthy@PA_SALIEU_ @pinkpantheress2 @welovepulp @samfendermusic @wolfalicemusic #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/196BzRI7nj

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 10, 2025

Pulp, CMAT and Wolf Alice nominated for Mercury Prize
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg3n15l7ygo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

this is the jazz album selected:

Hamstrings & Hurricanes
by Joe Webb
https://joewebb5.bandcamp.com/album/hamstrings-hurricanes

Boo to no Cure

And surprised Little Simz and Ezra aren't on there as they seem perennial Mercury faves

Not much of an alternative to the Brits when it's full of previous Brit Nominees. I get the argument that they need them in order to push the lesser known stuff through, but they're hardly doing that this year. Nice to see Martin Carthy get a nod at least. Truth is, it's just another dull corporate prize.

As it's my wheelhouse, the token jazz is new to me cos I don't pay much attention to mainstream UK jazz industry hype. It's pleasant but fairly anonymous piano trio stuff. The Britpop influences really don't help sell it. Fair play to the lad, but in a year that's produced outstanding, genuinely innovative albums from [Ahmed], Pat Thomas, Alexander Hawkins et al, polite conservatoire stuff like this just isn't good enough.

I don't know anything about Joe Webb but I was hoping Neil Cowley would get the nod for Entity, which IMHO is as great as the artists you mention (whom I also love, for the avoidance of doubt).

Did you see the list of judges? There's no way this was ever going to be even slightly interesting. Nice that Pa Salieu's straight outta jail album got a nod but this is all such dullardry

Cowley is very much not my bag sorry! :D

The £220 + VAT entry fee (to cover "administration") understandably puts people off. The chances of anything remotely left field getting nominated means you'd be better off spending that on lottery tickets.

re: The £220 + VAT entry fee (to cover "administration") understandably puts people off.

They never publish the full list of albums entered, if your paying that amount, there should be some acknowledgement and thanks.

I agree, but it would reveal how much they're making on this.
I've had my criticisms of the Scottish Album of the Year Awards, but at least it's free to enter, anyone can nominate a record etc. Mercury seem to have borrowed their model of moving around different cities/towns. I think this can be positive in certain respects, but it's no substitute for sustained support for local scenes and venues. In Newcastle, the New Labour era arts centre, which hoovers up most of the arts funding round here, is promoting some "Mercury associated" artists. There's also a "fringe" of smaller gigs and music industry events around the city, but the DIY/grassroots folks are not invited to the party.

Martin Carthy! First time someone my grandfather sung with in pubs has been nominated. This is a step in the right direction!

In the since-passed window when I grudgingly tried to use instagram with any regularity I halfheartedly followed Radio 6 and their CMAT posts were at the top of the page every time. I don't know her music but considering this is their second nomination in a row I'm guessing she's the current musician that the usual channels are trying awfully hard to make happen ? ('Cus my radar is pretty rock-covered so for me to even notice etc etc) Or maybe she is genuinely really popular idk. Sam Fender feels like someone who was gifted that model of buzz who then became, and remains, as popular as someone like him can be (despite the utter dreariness of the music ahem) - like, Radio 6 were there first maybe, but just wait til you get that Dec from Ant & Dec approval.

The first time I heard CMAT I was so massively underwhelmed, like... Is this what we're meant to be excited over?

I thought Sam Fender had proper "indie cred" but he's got a single out with Olivia Dean, what's going on there? I get the impression he's generally quite right-on but it's a shame about the music

Might have a flutter on CMAT.

Drowned in Sound's Neptune Prize 2025 Announced

https://www.drownedinsound.org/drowned-in-sounds-neptune-prize-2025-announced/?ref=drowned-in-sound-newsletter


THE NEPTUNE MUSIC PRIZE 2025

Benefits - Constant Noise
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Cwfen - Sorrows
Richard Dawson - End of the Middle
Djrum - Under Tangled Silence
Gwenno - Utopia
Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment
Honesty - U R HERE
Jessica Winter - My First Album
Julia-Sophie - forgive too slow
⁠KATHRYN JOSEPH - WE WERE MADE PREY.
⁠Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate
⁠Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out
⁠Los Campesinos! - All Hell
⁠Lowen - Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandara
⁠⁠Little Simz - Lotus
⁠Nubya Garcia - Odyssey
⁠Overhead, The Albatross - I Leave You This
Rose Gray - Louder Please
Whatever The Weather - Whatever The Weather II