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.

Radiohead, a British rock band formed in 1985, are known for pushing the boundaries of alternative rock. They have consistently experimented with a wide range of sounds, including electronic, experimental rock, and art rock. The band’s lineup includes lead vocalist and guitar and piano player Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood as the lead guitarist and keyboardist, Ed O’Brien on guitar and backing vocals, Colin Greenwood on bass, and Phil Selway on drums and percussion.

Radiohead is widely regarded as one of the most innovative bands in modern rock history. Their work has influenced countless musicians and pushed the limits of what rock music can be. Themes like dystopia, personal isolation, and environmental issues permeate their music, making them a voice for the anxious and introspective.

One of the major themes tackled in Radiohead’s music is the environment, more specifically the effects of pollution and climate change. This can be heard in their song Idioteque, which is related to climate change, global pollution, and mass species extinction.

Radiohead has had an active involvement in issues like the environment, and in 2012 the band teamed up with Jude Law to produce a video for Greenpeace to save the artic, titled A Homeless Polar Bear in London.

As reported on the Greenpeace website, on the video, Jude Law said: “Right now a handful of oil companies are trying to carve up the Arctic for the sake of the next quarterly results but a global movement is growing to stop them. I stand with hundreds of thousands of others who think the area should be made into a sanctuary, protected from corporate greed for good.”

Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke said: “We have to stop the oil giants pushing into the Arctic. An oil spill in the Arctic would devastate this region of breathtaking beauty, while burning that oil will only add to the biggest problem we all face, climate change. Thats why I’m backing this campaign.”

It is unsurprising, therefore, that Law has a desire to rekindle past collaborative relationships with the band as they are so aligned on an issue of such great importance.

Law’s admiration for Radiohead was made clear when he told the Guardian reporter that they are “just blistering with talent. I listen to their music regularly. They’re one of the great bands.”

All Points East started in 2018 and quickly became one of London’s most popular summer music events. The festival usually spans several days, offering a mix of live music performances from various genres, including rock, indie, electronic, and more. It features a lineup of both internationally renowned artists and emerging talent.

To give a backstory to the band, LCD Soundsystem are an American rock group known for its dance-punk sound, and was formed in 2002 in Brooklyn, New York. The band was founded by James Murphy, who is also the co-founder of the record label DFA Records. LCD Soundsystem quickly gained a following with their debut single Losing My Edge in 2002, which became an underground hit. They released their self-titled debut album in 2005, which included popular tracks like Daft Punk Is Playing at My House and Tribulations.

An ironic locational pairing, Sports Teams’ performed at Kennington’s world-famous cricket ground, The Oval, in London. The group were also outfitted in a cricket-appropriate colour palette, a playful nod to the gig’s setting. Posting a celebratory photo on Twitter, the band jokingly said of the performance: “First band to play The Oval since The Who in ’72. Same vibe.”

Blaring their anthemic raucous on a small stage directly in the middle of the sweeping stadium, the sound of Camel Crew fills the huge, empty venue to the brim. Playing with the zest and charisma of longtime headliners, Sports Teams’ most recent performance is just a taste of what is to come for these rising stars. As the coronavirus crisis hopefully dissipates with time, and health guidelines permit live gigs again, Sports Team will be playing filled stadiums faster than you can say, Kutcher.

Sports Team shared their high-energy performance on their official YouTube channel, which has already received over 4500 views. The spunky six-piece also posted their performance to Instagram, sharing jokingly to their 35,000 followers: “‘Camel Crew’ was one of the first songs we wrote, always knew we’d wind up playing it to empty stadiums.” Garnering over 5,000 likes and views, the post was warmly received by the band’s ever-growing fanbase. 

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Camel Crew was one of the first songs we wrote, always knew we’d wind up playing it to empty stadiums. That full session from the Oval is up now, link in bio@luxuriousthomas

A post shared by Sports Team (@sportsteam) on Aug 3, 2020 at 9:18am PDT

Make no mistake, Sports Team have been hard at work during lockdown, and have already been creating their second album together. Lead vocalist Alex Rice chatted to NME last month about their next project, mentioning that they had “been in the studio for the past three weeks, cracking on with album two”.

Rice spoke further on the making of Deep Down Happy, revealing that “The last album was born out of playing live shows.” Rice expanded with “being recorded in a block, it was done with us coming back from tour on a ferry, going straight into the studio and trying to get a single out of it. Then we’d be straight back on tour.” 

A sonic experiment following their long-awaited debut album, Rice says their next album is “more about the sound. It’s about the changes of the scene within a song as well. We’re looking at changing the mood in a big way.” Now fans won’t have to wait too long for the indie rock gang to add to their discography! 

Released on the 5th June, Deep Down Happy is nominated for a coveted Mercury Award, and also went head-to-head with none other than Lady Gaga for Number 1 album in the UK Official Charts that month. The euphoric Deep Down Happy is composed of twelve tracks and contains the singles Going Soft, Born Sugar, and Here’s The Thing.

Deep Down Happy is out now.