Culture | Music For more than 30 years, the Mercury Prize has celebrated the very best of British and Irish music, with past winners of its prestigious album of the year award including Primal Scream , Portishead , Arctic Monkeys , Michael Kiwanuka , Skepta , Little Simz , Ezra Collective , and PJ Harvey (twice). This year’s ceremony will take place in September, and this morning the award’s panel of music industry experts have unveiled the shortlist of contenders. For many acts, particularly those based in niche genres, or for bands still on the up, making the shortlist is an enormous achievement in and of itself.
Off the back of a nod last year, contemporary Irish folk group Lankum’s album sales and downloads boosted by 198 per cent; back in 2014, relatively unknown jazz acts GoGo Penguin and Polar Bear also enjoyed record streaming hikes of 1,197 per cent and 1,618 per cent respectively. And now, the 2024 shortlist has been revealed , with the following artists and albums in contention for one of the biggest prizes in music. Barry Can’t Swim - When Will We Land? Berwyn - WHO AM I Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown Cat Burns - Early Twenties Charli xcx - Brat CMAT - Crazymad, for Me Corrine Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows corto.
alto - Bad With Names English Teacher - This Could Be Texas Ghetts - On Purpose With Purpose Nia Archives - Silence is Loud The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy Here are all the key takeaways. At this point, it’s basically an ancient tradition.