The time at which the Mercury Music Prize is announced is a time for British music fans to rejoice. Well, on the most part. Each year since the award’s inception, the mercury Music committee has acted as an alternative to accolades such at the BRIT’s, offering the British audience with an alternative, seeking out more critically acclaimed releases as opposed to those based more upon popular acclaim and mainstream radioplay.
This year, Richard Hawley received his second Mercury nomination, with Alt-J, Bright Light Bright Light and Sweet Billy Pilgrim having also been named amongst the bookies favourites to receive a nomination for the award, with the actual ceremony to be held on November 1st. The winner of the award will receive £20,000.
British bookies Paddy Power have set Alt-J’s debut album An Awesome Wave as overwhelming favourites to not only receive the nomination, but also to win, placing their odds at 4/6. Paddy Power have also set Bright Light Bright Light’s Make Me Believe In Hope at 6/1, whilst placing Richard Hawley’s Standing At The Sky’s Edge, Florence and the Machine’s Ceremonials and Sweet Billy Pilgrim’s Crown and Treaty at 12/1.
The list of odds for the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize nomination is as follows:
Alt-J: ‘An Awesome Wave’ – 4/6
Bright Light Bright Light: ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ – 6/1
Sweet Billy Pilgrim: ‘Crown and Treaty’ – 12/1
Florence & the Machine: ‘Ceremonials’ – 12/1
Django Django: ‘Django Django’ – 12/1
Richard Hawley: ‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’ – 12/1
The Maccabees: ‘Given To The Wild’ – 12/1
Emeli Sande: ‘Our Version Of Events’ – 16/1
Portico Quartet: ‘Portico Quartet’ – 16/1
Hot Chip: ‘In Our Heads’ – 16/1
Coldplay: ‘Mylo Xyloto’ – 20/1
Kate Bush: ’50 Words For Snow’ – 20/1
Michael Kiwanuka: ‘Home Again’ – 20/1
Rumer: ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ – 20/1
Jessie Ware: ‘Devotion’ – 20/1
Bombay Bicycle Club: ‘A Different Kind Of Fix’ – 20/1
Rustie: ‘Glass Swords’ – 20/1
Pulled Apart By Horses: ‘Tough Love’ – 25/1
PJ Harvey was last year’s winner, with her eighth studio release Let England Shake. Harvey is the only artist in the Prize’s history to have won the award twice, having triumphed ten years previously with 2001 effort Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.
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