On the 5th of September, the Leeds band English Teacher took home the prize for best debut album, making them the first band from outside of London to win in over a decade.

The band won over their competition which included Nia Archives, Barry Can’t Swim, BERWYN, and the predicted favourite Charlie XCX’s Brat, to name just a few.

The album received stellar compliments from the judging panel, with the team stating: “We did agree that This Could Be Texas by English Teacher stands out for its originality and 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.”

Since receiving the award, English Teacher’s music has increased in popularity. On the 17th of September BPI, the organisers behind the Mercury Prize, reported the increase in streams the winning album has received. As reported by Music News, according to BPI analysis of Official Charts Company data, “This Could Be Texas” saw a chart sales increase of 1,073% in the week after the award show, the album’s best performance since its release.

A number of other bands shortlisted for the Mercury Prize have also benefitted from their place on the 2024 list, with BERWYN, Corinne Bailey Rae and corto.alto also seeing sale increases of over 100%.

Following winning the award, the band spoke to NME, stating that they would “continue to be honest” about their struggles as a band.

The group’s drummer Frost went on to say: “The response to the album has been incredible, we did not expect it at all. We were actually very worried about it and expecting the opposite, so it’s been surreal. I feel like it’s going to take me a long long time for this to sink in. As soon as it was announced, my whole body just shut down.”

In light of their recent accolades, the band have acknowledged that it will take a lot for them to top this achievement. The group seem up to the task, however.

The band originally coined the name Frank but revised it in 2020. According to Last.FM Radio, Fontaine explained that “we all really liked our English teachers in school. I think we all had crushes on them.”

The band blend together many elements to create their sound, including angular post-punk sounds, dream pop, and indie electronic sounds of the synth. The World’s Biggest Paving Slab was their first single and has amassed over 2 millions streams on Spotify. The song was produced by Marta Salgoni, who worked with artists such as Björk, Black Midi, and Animal Collective.

In discussing the origins of The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, Fontaine described the experience of growing up around Pendle, and how witnessing the social, economic and political issues shaped her and her music. She explained;

This song tackles delusions of grandeur and inferiority from the perspective of a small town’s local celebrities.

The song was published a day after Flontaine made a public plea to create more opportunities for UK bands outside of London following the downscaling of the BBC’s regional Introducing shows.

The World’s Biggest Paving Slab is part of their album This Could Be Texas for which they received the Mercury nomination on the 25th of July. In response to the news of the nomination, the band announced they would be performing a free concert in Leeds at the Brundenell Social Club, Burley from 19:00 on Wednesday, allocating tickets on a first come first serve basis.

This venue holds significance for the band as aside from being located in their home town it is not the first time they have played there. In October of 2023 they performed a sold-out show, so returning with the new nomination under their belt is something of a victory lap for the band.

For more ticket information on the event, see here. 

Nominated alongside them were other Leeds artists including Corinne Bailey, producer Nia Archives, Charlie XCX, and The Last Dinner Party.

This concert will precede the bands extensive tour which is set to kick off on the the 2^nd of October and take them across the continental US and throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, finishing on the 21^st of November 2024 in Bristol.

English Teacher’s music boasts a unique sound with lyrics full of rich ideas that range throughout many epochs, drawing on Victorian literature, local history, and even YouTube channels. These cross-generational references and sound reminiscent of the punk era makes their music appealing to a wide range of listeners, which will hopefully stand them in good stead in securing the Mercury Prize.