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 Mercury Prize is a prestigious annual music award that was established in 1992 as an alternative to the more commercial Brit Awards, with the goal of recognising the best album released by a British or Irish artist within the year. The award covers all genres, including rock, pop, folk, jazz, grime, and classical music.

Unlike other music awards that might focus on sales or popularity, the Mercury Prize is known for its emphasis on artistic achievement and innovation. The judging panel is typically composed of musicians, critics, and industry figures, and their selections are often noted for being eclectic and surprising.

In keeping with its alternative reputation, this year the award show will take a slightly different form. It has been announced that there will not be a live performance as instead of the usual awards event and live ceremony at the Hammersmith Apollo, there will be extensive promotional activity.

This year, the artists behind the 12 nominated albums have been invited to Abbey Road Studios where they will view recorded videos of their past performances. This will be filmed and broadcast live on BBC Radio Four from 8-9:15pm.

The programme will be presented by Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant, with Matt Everitt interviewing the artists responsible for the nominated albums. The 2024 nominated albums of the year include:

Barry Can’t Swim: ‘When Will We Land?’
BERWYN: ‘Who Am I’
Beth Gibbons: ‘Lives Outgrown’
Cat Burns: ‘early twenties’
Charli xcx: ‘BRAT’
CMAT: ‘Crazymad, for Me’
Corinne Bailey Rae: ‘Black Rainbows’
corto.alto: ‘Bad with Names’
English Teacher: ‘This Could Be Texas’
Ghetts: ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’
Nia Archives: ‘Silence Is Loud’
The Last Dinner Party: ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’

As reported by the Rolling Stones, Dr Joe Twist, CEO of BPI (British Phonographic Industry), home to the Mercury Prize, said of this years ceremony: “For the 2024 Mercury Prize we will work imaginatively with the BBC to deliver a premium programme of music content and digital engagement that will, as ever, benefit all 12 artists in reaching a wider audience, providing an important platform for their evolving career and musical journey.”

The Wild Fields Festival was first held in 2020 and was created by the team behind the Red Rooster Festival as a way to bring live music and arts to Norwich in a smaller, more intimate setting. The festival was born out of the need to adapt to the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a safe, outdoor environment for people to enjoy live performances and cultural activities. Despite its relatively recent inception, the festival has quickly grown in popularity and has become a staple in Norfolk’s cultural calendar.

Wild Fields Festival aims to offer a relaxed and inclusive experience, catering to a wide range of musical tastes and artistic interests. The festival’s programme often includes genres like indie, folk, electronic, and more. The family-friendly environment, combined with the scenic outdoor setting, adds to its appeal as a laid-back yet culturally rich festival experience.

Headlining this year was the Ezra Collective. The group is a London-based jazz quintet that has become one of the leading acts in the UK’s contemporary jazz scene. The group is known for its dynamic fusion of jazz with various genres, including Afrobeat, hip-hop, grime, and reggae, creating a vibrant and energetic sound.

The collective is made up of Femi Koleoso on drums, TJ Koleoso on bass, Joe-Armon Jones on keys, James Mollison on saxophone and Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet

In 2023, the group were named as the winners of the Mercury Prize, with FREENOW winning album of the year. The group performed the song Victory Dance after collecting the award which was met with a standing ovation.

Ezra Collective performed alongside other notable artists such as Sampha The Great, SBTRKT, and Kae Tempest, to name just a few.

As stated in Norwich News, festival director Ben Street said:

Wild Fields will be a truly unique event with a varied and progressive musical line-up paired with climate discussions, industry panels and immersive performance.

The festival is very climate-oriented, partnering up with Climate UK to welcome a large, solar-powered pink bus as one of the stages.

Climate Live Bus

The bus is open-topped and solar powered, featuring live music on the top. Next to it there is a campaign stall where the team speak with festival goers about Climate Live and key youth-led UK climate campaigns

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BERWYN (@berwynberwynberwyn)

Berwyn won’t only be at the awards show as a performer having being nominated for his mixtape DEMOTAPE/VEGA. The first artist to ever be nominated for a mixtape alone.

Berwyn is a Trinidadian migrant who has lived in the UK since he was 9 years old but does not yet have a British passport, which previously would have made him ineligible for the award. The rules were changed after Japanese-Britsh pop star Rina Sawayama revealed last year she was ineligible for a Mercury and Brits award nomination despite having lived in the UK for 26 years.

An online campaign transpired in support of her with the hashtag #SAWAYAMAISBRITISH , which ignited a conversation around Britishness and what makes somebody British. Sawayama met with the BPI following this and the rules were changed.

The change in rules meant that artists will have to meet one of the three following criteria in order to be eligible: they were born in the UK, they are a UK passport holder (this includes those that hold more than one passport), or they have been permanently resident in the UK for more than five years.

These rule changes have allowed Berwyn to be nominated for his debut mixtape, a victory that will be appreciated by the artist who in his most recent project spoke about how his citizenship had affected his ability to put out music and nearly led him to give up.

Berwyn’s performance will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC 4 on Thursday 9th September at 9 pm.

Berwyn’s Mercury prize-nominated mixtape is available to listen to here: