Elbow win Mercury prize
Elbow beat 11 others to win 20,000 and this year’s Nationwide Mercury Prize for their album,The Seldom Seen Kid.
The prize champions UK music and is open to all music. It attracted around 240 entries this year.
The Bury outfit’s fourth album mixes sparse electronica, flamenco-influenced beats and Led Zeppelin-inspired rock.
Radiohead, Estelle, Last Shadow Puppets, Adele, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, British Sea Power, Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, Laura Marling, Portico Quartet, Burial and Neon Neon, the alter ego of Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys were also up for the award.
Elbow frontman Guy Garvey said: “I know we’re supposed to be cool but this is quite literally the best thing that has ever happened to us.”
He added: “I would look at it (the award) in the same way as certain Bedouin tribes, I think, like a bowl of milk. Something that does not occur very often but tastes all the sweeter.”
He dedicated the award to the band’s friend Brian Clancy, who died a few years ago and who inspired a number of the tracks on the album.
The shortlist of 12 albums of the year is chosen by a panel of musicians, producers, presenters and music journalists.
The decision is based solely on the music on the albums rather than on commercial sales success.
Albums released between July 2007 and July 2008 are eligible for this year’s prize and previous winners include Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Antony and the Johnsons, and Dizzee Rascal.
The band, who have been together for 18 years said they had all bet on other bands, including the Last Shadow Puppets and Neon Neon to win.
Related posts: