The Hyundai Mercury Prize has been awarded tonight for the best UK and Irish album of the previous year to Dave for Psychodrama.
🎉 The moment @AnnieMac announced @Santandave1's 'Psychodrama' as the winner of the 2019 #HyundaiMercuryPrize 🎉 pic.twitter.com/J3grAvQJbT
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
The winner of the 2019 Hyundai Mercury Prize is @Santandave1‘s ‘Psychodrama’ #HyundaiMercuryPrize #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/GycAOJ7aoz
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
Watch some clips of the performances and see the nominated albums below.
The bookies favourites were Little Simz and Dave while our office straw poll suggested Idles or Fontaines D.C. were in with a shout for sure.
Idles, Little Simz, Slowthai & Dave’s albums all deal extensively in social issues facing various factions of the modern British youth while Fontaines D.C were the only Irish representative and their album Dogrel drew similar parallels.
Here’s the full nomination list.
- Anna Calvi – Hunter
- Black Midi – Schlagenheim
- Cate Le Bon – Reward
- Dave – Psychodrama
- Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1
- Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel
- IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance
- Little Simz – Grey Area
- NAO – Saturn
- SEED Ensemble – Driftglass
- The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
Wolf Alice took home last year’s award and previous winners include Sampha, The xx, Skepta, Benjamin Clementine, Young Fathers, James Blake, Alt-J and PJ Harvey.
.@Santandave1‘s powerful performance of ‘Psycho’ 🔥 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/Db0y4ZSAC8
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
💥 black midi’s explosive performance of ‘bmbmbm’ 💥 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/shXlOPxI7g
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
A dreamy performance of ‘Home to You’ by @CateLeBon 💫 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/MNtwlOREDe
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
Surprising amount of references to space to impress the – ahem! – “Mercury” judges. @seedensemble’s ‘Interplanetary Migration’ was sublime 🎷 🤩 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/T0MhxhVChf
— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) September 19, 2019
🎸 The unstoppable @fontainesdublin performing ‘Boys in the Better Land’ 💥#HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/eLnqzRUj9y
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
What a performance. 🔥
That’s how you kick off the 2019 #MercuryPrize! @foals performing ‘On the Luna’ 👏pic.twitter.com/Rcc3C6i4dj
— BBC (@BBC) September 19, 2019
Always expect greatness from @LittleSimz ✨ here’s her stunning performance of ‘Selfish’ 💜 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/Jb28SPwnBO
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
When @annacalvi howled, we felt that. What a performance. #mercuryprize #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/rjcZHmJv4Y
— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) September 19, 2019
In absolute awe of @NAO‘s performance of ‘Another Lifetime’ , a voice like no other 💕 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/wS3IVaLCPZ
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
.@the1975 absolutely rocking Reading Festival – It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’ 🤘 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/pOne1BSdfH
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
CLEAR THE TABLES!
🔥 A show stopping performance of ‘Doorman from @slowthai 🔥 #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/d9cEeKMoLK
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
