Photo: JM Enternational
English Teacher were announced tonight, Thursday 5 September 2024, as the overall winner of the 2024 Mercury Prize for their album ‘This Could Be Texas’.
Broadcaster, author and podcaster Annie Macmanus and 6 Music presenter Huw Stephens were hosts of the ‘Mercury Prize 2024: Album of the Year’ TV programme, live from Abbey Road Studios.
Guest presenter, 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova announced the overall winner on behalf of the judging team.
The judging team said:
“This has been a really tough year for the Mercury Prize judges, with the final 12 albums being so reflective of our diverse & rich musical landscape. There was so much passion and enthusiasm for each one.
In the end, though, we did agree that ‘This Could Be Texas’ by English Teacher stands out for its originality & character. A winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation, alongside a subtle way of wearing its musical innovations lightly, displays a fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format. ‘This Could Be Texas’ reveals new depths on every listen; the mark of a future classic.
The Mercury Prize was set up to celebrate the album as an artistic format in its own right and all the judges agreed that this charismatic body of work deserves to be the 2024 Mercury Prize Album of the Year.”
This year’s Awards Show saw artists come together to watch each other’s recent recorded performances and celebrate each other’s work, before the overall winner was announced.
The Prize’s broadcast partner BBC Music provided live television and radio coverage of the event.
BBC Four broadcast ‘Mercury Prize 2024: Album of the Year’ on Thursday, 5 September 2024 from 8pm to 9.15pm, presented by Annie and Huw. Annie, Huw and artists Cat Burns and Corinne Bailey Rae also appeared on The One Show tonight (5th September, 7-7.30pm) , live from Abbey Road Studios. Both programmes are now available on iPlayer.
6 Music broadcast ‘Mercury Prize 2024 - Live’ from 7pm to 11pm.
The programme was presented by Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant, with Matt Everitt interviewing the artists behind each of the 12 Albums of The Year. The show included the announcement of the overall winner of the 2024 Mercury Prize, with the winning album then played out in full on air.
Also available on BBC Sounds is a Mercury Prize 2024 collection, which features Matt Everitt’s Pocket Guides (3 x 60 mins) to all twelve albums, along with two playlists – one celebrating this year’s Albums of The Year and another celebrating previous Mercury Prize winners. The collection features archive interviews, deep cuts and more.
The 2024 Mercury Prize 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ are:
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’
Corinne 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’
The Mercury Prize recognises and celebrates the ‘Albums of the Year’, establishing a reputation for highlighting the work of both exciting emerging talent and more established bands and artists. The 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ are chosen by an independent judging panel and recognise artistic achievement across a range of genres. Albums by British and Irish artists with a UK release date between 15 July 2023 and 12 July 2024 are eligible for the 2024 Prize.
The 2024 Mercury Prize judges are: Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer; Jamie Cullum - Musician & Radio 2 Broadcaster; Jamz Supernova – 6 Music Broadcaster & DJ; Jeff Smith - Head of Music, Radio 2 & 6 Music; Lea Stonhill – Music Programming Consultant; Mistajam – Songwriter, DJ & Broadcaster; Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo; Sian Eleri – Radio 1 Broadcaster & DJ; Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times; Sophie Williams – Music Writer & Broadcaster. The Chair of the judging team is Jeff Smith. The judging team met on 5 September to decide on the overall winning album.
As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting UK recorded music, renowned British premium audio brand, Bowers & Wilkins, continues as long-term official audio partner of the Mercury Prize. At the forefront of music creation for over 40 years, it is uniquely placed to help the Mercury Prize celebrate the album format and the creative achievements of the 12 artists.
