Mercury Music Prize 2019

Shortlist is announced on 25th July 2019. It’s usually a bit underwhelming. Who do you think is in with a shout?

Rules are as follows:
Albums by British or Irish artists released July 21, 2018 and July 19, 2019 (inclusive) are eligible for entry,

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Idles

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Will be sticking a few quid on Idles.

Fontaines DC and Spiritualized for possible outsiders.

Bmbmbm

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Anna Calvi - Hunter

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reckon Fontaines are well in with a shout for token Irish inclusion, they haven’t bothered with one for a couple of years now

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Self esteem will probs get a nom

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I would say any of Little Simz, Nilüfer Yanya, The Comet is Coming, Dave, Fontaines DC, The 1975, James Blake, Skepta, Self Esteem,Twilight Sad and Anna Calvi could potentially make the shortlist but I’m usually wrong.

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Madonnatron, Petrels, Hot Chip, Idles, Twilight Sad

These and slowthai

A lot depends who’s on the panel. Didn’t they have one of Mumford and sons last year?!

Do you mean Black Midi?

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It’d be nice

If nominated, can see Slowthai winning.

Come through Little Simz! That album’s just wonderful.

Ezra Collective for token jazz act please

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Speech Debelle

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Some excellent British hip hop eligible. Great albums from Slowthai, Dave and Little Simz. I imagine they won’t shortlist all three though.

Fontaines DC are a shoo in. They’re always looking for a credible new guitar band and FDC are lot better than some of those they’ve chosen before (Blossoms anyone?). Same applies to Idles and possibly Black Midi.

The Comet is Coming is the obvious choice for the ‘jazz album’ but that’s a vibrant scene at the moment and might justify another choice. I thought Sons of Kemet should have won the whole thing last year (from the shortlist they chose).

They’ll be a couple of mainstream choices, not really qualified to say what those will be but neither Adele nor Ed Sheeran have released records so they’ll have to cast their net a bit wider.

One thing’s for certain and that is that at least half of their picks will be completely, laughably wrong. It’s always been questionable but in recent years it’s become a joke - especially the year before last when it ignored the two most critically acclaimed and interesting British albums of the year (by Richard Dawson and Kelly Lee Owens).

Idles nailed on for a nomination.

Would love to see Big Joanie, Hen Ogledd, Fat White Family, Dave and Comet Is Coming get nods.

Last year I put £100 on Sons of Kemet winning as I was so convinced they’d win (would have been richly deserved), so I can no longer listen to Wolf Alice.

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