{"id":412859,"date":"2025-09-10T10:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/412859\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T10:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:11:10","slug":"cmat-pulp-and-pinkpantheress-among-mercury-prize-shortlist-light-on-new-names-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/412859\/","title":{"rendered":"Cmat, Pulp and PinkPantheress among Mercury prize shortlist light on new names | Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

A raft of familiar names fill this year\u2019s list of Mercury prize nominations, with only two debuts among the 12 shortlisted albums. In Limerence<\/a>, the first full-length by the Scottish folk songwriter Jacob Alon, and Hamstrings and Hurricanes, the first by Welsh jazz musician Joe Webb, will compete with the likes of Pulp\u2019s comeback album More<\/a>, folk godfather Martin Carthy\u2019s Transform Me Then Into a Fish<\/a> and the album with the UK\u2019s biggest opening week of the year so far, People Watching<\/a> by Sam Fender.<\/p>\n

The list is split 50\/50 between male and female or mixed acts. The solo female artists on the list tend to the iconoclastic: Irish pop star Cmat\u2019s acclaimed third album Euro-Country<\/a>, Leeds jazz musician Emma-Jean Thackray\u2019s Weirdo<\/a>, FKA twigs\u2019 Eusexua<\/a> and PinkPantheress\u2019s mixtape Fancy That<\/a>. As for bands, as well as Pulp, the Irish band Fontaines DC (Romance<\/a>) and London four-piece Wolf Alice (The Clearing<\/a>) appear.<\/p>\n

There is just one rap album on the list, Afrikan Alien by Pa Salieu. As ever, the Mercury seems unafraid of its reputation for nominating just one \u201ctoken\u201d jazz album, in Webb\u2019s Hamstrings and Hurricanes. Metal, as usual, does not feature.<\/p>\n

Dr Jo Twist, CEO of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the body behind the awards, told the Guardian that she was delighted by the breadth of albums nominated. \u201cIt\u2019s a real celebration of such an eclectic mix of achievements across all kinds of genres, and it\u2019s been a really competitive year.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several repeat nominations: Cmat was previously recognised for her second album, 2023\u2019s Crazymad, for Me; FKA twigs for her 2014 debut LP1; Fontaines DC<\/a> for their 2019 debut Dogrel; Sam Fender for his second album, 2021\u2019s Seventeen Going Under.<\/p>\n

Both Wolf Alice<\/a> and Pulp have three prior nominations and one win apiece under their respective belts: Pulp were nominated for 1994\u2019s His \u2019n\u2019 Hers (controversially losing to M People), won in 1996 for Different Class, and were nominated again in 1998 for This Is Hardcore. Wolf Alice were nominated for their 2015 debut My Love Is Cool, won in 2018 for Visions of a Life, and were nominated again in 2021 for Blue Weekend. They are now four-time nominees, only bested by Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys, with five apiece.<\/p>\n

Four-time Mercury nominees Wolf Alice. Photograph: Rachel Fleminger Hudson<\/p>\n

Any album released by a British or Irish act between 14 July 2024 and 29 August 2025 was eligible for consideration. Among the British and Irish artists who may feel they missed out on a nod are Nil\u00fcfer Yanya, the Cure, Laura Marling, Jamie xx, Los Campesinos!, Jasmine.4. T, Karl Silva, Lambrini Girls, Mogwai, Rose Gray, These New Puritans, Architects, Maria Somerville, Sprints, NewDad, Bryan Ferry and Amelia Barratt, Central Cee, Fimiguerrero, Len and Lancey Foux, John Glacier, Yazz Ahmed, Alabaster DePlume, Black Country, New Road, Sherelle, Self Esteem, Shanti Celeste, Loyle Carner, Kae Tempest, Kokoroko, Jim Legxacy, For Those I Love and Blood Orange.<\/p>\n

The prize defines itself as recognising \u201cthe best new British and Irish music, celebrating artistic achievement across an eclectic range of contemporary music genres\u201d.<\/p>\n

Last year, it failed to find a sponsor and the live event \u2013 which usually features performances from all of the nominees \u2013 was a stripped-back affair, with the nominees watching VTs of each other performing at the BBC. Twist called it a \u201cvery successful year\u201d, albeit artists said they missed the live performance aspect of the ceremony. \u201cOne of the unique things is having your peers listening and critiquing your performance, talking about your bodies of work, and it was incredible to see those conversations happening in such an intimate environment last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year sees the ceremony move from London to Newcastle \u2013 following in the footsteps of the Mobo awards earlier this year \u2013 marking a new partnership with Newcastle city council and the North East combined authority. It will take place at Newcastle\u2019s Utilita arena on 16 October, a ticketed event<\/a> featuring performances from many of the shortlisted artists. Former host Lauren Laverne, a Sunderland native, will return to present.<\/p>\n

North Shields nominee Sam Fender. Photograph: Kieran Frost\/Redferns<\/p>\n

\u201cThe move to Newcastle is very exciting for us,\u201d said Twist. \u201cIt\u2019s a city that has an amazing musical heritage and musical culture. What makes British music so brilliant is its diversity. It\u2019s from all over the country but opportunity isn\u2019t necessarily [distributed] all over the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the week running up to the ceremony, a new Mercury Fringe<\/a> event, in association with local music development organisation Generator, will showcase talent from the north east with live gigs curated alongside local promoters, as well as providing workshops, roundtables and what organisers have billed as a \u201cmajor industry conference\u201d, with details to be revealed soon.<\/p>\n

When the Mobo awards took place in Newcastle in February, it delivered an estimated \u00a31.3m into the local economy, and Sam Fender\u2019s three-night run of homecoming concerts at the city\u2019s St James\u2019 Park added a \u00a316.5m boost, local business groups claimed. \u201cThis is what opportunity looks like when you\u2019re leaving a legacy, you\u2019re investing and you\u2019re getting people excited about opportunities across the music industry that they might not have access to ordinarily,\u201d said Twist.<\/p>\n

Whether the prize would maintain a permanent home in the city is \u201csomething we will look at\u201d, she said. \u201cIf there are other cities who are keen to follow this blueprint, which the Mobos successfully laid down, we\u2019d love to have those conversations again. This shortlist shows the breadth of talent from across the country and all of our nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judges for this year\u2019s prize are broadcaster and writer Danielle Perry, musician Jamie Cullum, broadcaster and DJ Jamz Supernova, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music head of music Jeff Smith \u2013 also the chair of the team \u2013 music programming consultant Lea Stonhill, broadcaster Mistajam, Kerrang! creative director and Mojo contributing editor Phil Alexander, BBC Radio 1 DJ Sian Eleri, the Times music critic Will Hodgkinson and music writer Sophie Williams.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s winners were Leeds band English Teacher<\/a>, the first winners from outside of London since Scottish hip-hop trio Young Fathers a decade prior, who beat the likes of Charli xcx and Beth Gibbons to the prize.<\/p>\n

The Mercury prize nominees in fullPa Salieu. Photograph: Jonny Weeks\/The Guardian<\/p>\n