Florence and the Machine leads Speech Debelle and Bat For Lashes for the Mercury Music Prize
08 September, 2009
by: Spoonfed Team
Florence and the Machine is the current bookies favourite for this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize in an exceptionally strong field which includes La Roux, Kasabian, Friendly Fires, The Horrors, Bat For Lashes and Speech Debelle.
The Mercury Music Prize will be announced at a star-studded bash tonight and for the first time, all twelve nominees will perform live. The show goes out on BBC2 from 10pm, presented by Lauren Laverne.
All 12 nominated albums are well worth a listen, while several of them have had the office ranting and raving about how great they are: Florence Welch, La Roux and even The Horrors are simply brilliant. Even token London jazz offering Led Bib really got the toes tapping, and only Glasvegas are like, totally irritating and last year.
Our strong tip for the prize though is Speech Debelle whose 'Speech Therapy' album highlights a brilliant, unique voice in UK hip hop but also a traumatised, homeless, drug-afflicted personal story. The album is excellent on its own merits, but if it does triumph, it'll be the 'broken home, doing this for my Mum' X-Factor what won it. Evidently the bookies agree with our cynical assessment as odds on Speech Debelle have been slashed from 8 to 4/1 this morning.
It should be a great show, with several spiky personalities, and Debelle promising in this morning's Metro to kick off a la Kanye West if she doesn't win. You go, girl!
Who do YOU think should win? Let us know via comments below
Latest odds at time of going to press:
Florence and the Machine 5/2
Speech Debelle 4/1
Kasabian 5/1
Bat For Lashes 6/1
The Horrors 6/1
Friendly Fires 10/1
La Roux 12/1
Lisa Hannigan 12/1
Glasvegas 16/1
Led Bib 33/1
Sweet Billy Pilgrim 33/1
The Invisible 33/1
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JH
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