Laura Mvula is the bookie's favourite to take this year's Mercury Music Prize tonight with our boy Conor J O’Brien and Villagers currently at odds of 50/1 to win for their second album Awayland. Laura Mvula is at 7/4 to win.
This is the second time Villagers have been nominated for the prize which is now in its 21st year. They will perform at the ceremony tonight along with all the other acts except Mr Bowie. That would have been very special if he appeared!
Other Irish Acts that have been nominated in the past include U2 for Achtung Baby, Therapy? For Troublegum, Van Morrisson for Days Like This, Gemma Hayes for Night on My Side, The Thrills with So Much for the City, Snow Patrol for Final Straw, Fionn Regan for The End of History, Lisa Hannigan with Sea Sew and Villagers with Becoming a Jackal. We have yet to have an Irish winner, maybe tonight’s the night?
The Mercury Music Prize is considered one of the ‘worthy’ awards and the nominated artists are usually very honoured to be considered for it. It’s voted for by industry insiders but sometimes they miss the mark. Massive albums that didn’t win include....
Oasis with Definitely Maybe which lost out to Portishead with Dummy, Radioheads’ OK Computer lost out to Roni Size – New Forms, Amy Winehouse and Back to Black lost out to Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future and Adele’s 21 lost to PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake...
The ceremony will be broadcast on Channel 4 at 10.00pm tonight
The full list of nominess are:
Sing to The Moon by Laura Mvula
Holy Fire by Foals
Settle by Disclosure
The Next Day by David Bowie
Once I Was an Eagle by Laura Marling
Immunity by Jon Hopkins
AM by Arctic Monkeys
Silence Yourself by Savages
Overgrown by James Blake
Jake Bugg by Jake Bugg
Home by Rudimental
And our favourite Awayland by Villagers.... Go on Ireland!
