Well that was a shocker. I know the Mercury Prize has always focused on emerging acts, artists who haven’t yet gone mainstream in a big way, but I have at least usually heard of the act that wins. This year, I hadn’t, and I’m the first to admit I’m playing catch-up in learning about Speech Debelle.

The Klaxons won the Mercury Prize in 2007, with Elbow following in their footsteps last year. Both of whom I knew of, had heard their latest albums, and instantly knew were worthy winners. This year, the Mercury Prize has been given to an artist unknown …read more

Dance isn’t my preferred genre of music. I’ve dabbled over the years, going through a phase when younger of loving the rave and house music scene. Then there are the big acts such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx etc. that have crossed genres and crossed over into the mainstream. And those acts I like. But Simian Mobile Disco are a new one on me.

I’ve heard of the group by name, and know that one of its members, James Ford (the other being Jas Shaw), is also a producer for the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons. But …read more

The Barclaycard Mercury Prize (formerly the Nationwide Mercury Music Prize) is an annual event which seeks to reward the newest, freshest, or most innovative British groups. 12 artists are chosen for their albums from their last 12 months. Some are big names, but most are new acts just starting to get known by the mainstream. Being shortlisted for the Mercury Prize is a surefire way to get noticed.

Last year (2008) saw Elbow win the award for The Seldom Seen Kid. They saw off the likes of Radiohead, Estelle, and Adele to win the Mercury Prize, and few could argue with …read more

Elbow have won the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Music Prize, beating the likes of Radiohead, Adele, Estelle, and bookies favourite Burial. The Manchester band won the annual music industry award for their fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid.
The prize was contested by 12 of the best of British acts from this year, all of whom were considered to have released the best albums from the past 12 months. The nominees were announced back in July, when I expressed my desire for Radiohead to win for In Rainbows. But it wasn’t to be.

The Mercury Music Prize, sponsored by Nationwide, is the annual award given to the best album by a British or Irish artist released in the previous 12 months. The ceremony isn’t until later in the year, but a short-list is first released, with the name of the 12 artists, and their albums, on it which the judges think are the best of British.

Having said that, the Mercury Music Prize has a history of choosing albums by up and coming artists, rather than necessarily widely known artists, and certainly not the best-selling ones. Which means there are always some huge surprises …read more

The Ivor Novello Awards are an annual celebration of the best displays of song writing over the past twelve months. It’s British biased, but also highlights songs from abroad which sold particularly well.
This year’s nominations have been revealed, and there is one woman head and shoulders above the rest. Amy Winehouse has managed to secure three nominations, two of which are in one category. All despite Back To Black, the album that the songs come from, having been out for over two years.
Winehouse has Love is A Losing Game and You Know I’m No Good both up for best song …read more

Thursday night saw the Shockwaves NME Awards take place, the cooler, somewhat more indie version of The Brits. The results were a mixture of surprises and the totally predictable, but one thing which was missing this year was any real controversy.
The Arctic Monkeys emerged as the big winners on the night, taking home three awards, including Best Track for Fluorescent Adolescent, Best Video for Teddy Picker and the award for Best British Band.
Klaxons saw their Myths Of The Near Future album pick up the second big award of the year, winning Best Album to add to their Mercury Music Prize …read more

At last week’s Brit Awards, one of the many highlights was the collaboration between Rihanna and Klaxons.
The two artists, whose styles vary wildly, made a mashup of Umbrella and Golden Skans work as if the songs had been written in unison, and were always meant to go together.
Now, Rihanna has expressed an interest in releasing the collaboration as a single. She told BBC 6Music (reported here via Digital Spy):
“[It was] really different, very cool, unexpected. But when I hear it, I just want to hear it more. It makes it so much more rock and roll.
“It’s a different tempo …read more

8pm – Mika opens the show with his distinct brand of high pitched camp goodness. There’s no flashy backgrounds or staging, with the focus seeming to be on his actual singing, and stage presence instead. Which is a refreshing change.
Beth Ditto arrives on stage, and the two of them embark on a duet combining Love Today and Standing In The Way Of Control. Once she’s disappeared behind the curtain, Mika goes in to a bit of Grace Kelly.
Already I can see that the crowd is the combination of enthusiastic fans, and industry types who are just there to get drunk …read more

The Vodafone Live awards are one of those small awards ceremonies that is quickly getting bigger and getting more attention. They’re still not on the scale of The Brits or anything, but it ended up being a good show, and the list of winners ticks virtually every box for me. Here are the full list…
Best Live Male: Mika
Best Live Female: Amy Winehouse
Live Impact 2007: Gossip
Best Show Production: Kylie Minogue
Best Live Return: The Police
Best Live Music DVD: Oasis: ‘Morning Glory – A Classic Album’
Best Live Music Venue: Wembley Stadium
XFM Live Breakthrough Act: Klaxons
Channel 4 Festival of the Year: Glastonbury
Kerrang! Live Unsigned …read more