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Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine, is the bookmakers' favourite to win... but the judges are known for surprising pundits
The bets are in and Florence and the Machine is firmly installed as the favourite, but tonight’s Mercury Prize could still surprise music pundits.
The prestigious award, to be announced at a London ceremony this evening, has frequently stunned the industry, with M People taking the gong from Blur in 1995, and the Klaxons beating Amy Winehouse in 2007.
Women of the moment Florence Welch, who records under the name Florence and the Machine, still faces strong competition from a clutch of fellow females for the prize, given for the best album of the year.
Her hit release Lungs is up against the eponymous debut album from critical and chart favourite La Roux, fronted by the quiff-haired Elly Jackson. Also in the running is Bat for Lashes, aka alternative singer-songwriter Natasha Khan, who won over critics with her second album, Two Suns.
South London rapper Speeche Debelle is shortlisted for Speeche Therapy, while Lisa Hannigan, best known for her collaborations with Damien Rice, is up for Sea Sew.
But tonight’s ceremony at the West End’s Grosvenor House Hotel, is not an entirely female affair. The feted St Albans group Friendly Fires, Leicester rock band Kasabian, Scottish stadium favourites Glasvegas and the lesser known bands The Horrors, Led Bib, Sweet Billy Pilgrim and The Invisible are all on the shortlist.
Despite bookmaker’s putting the odds on Florence and the Machine, most music critics are resolutely refusing to make predictions, aware that the judging panel, made up of industry experts, often only makes its final decision moments before the announcement.
Analysing this year’s shortlist, The Times’s chief rock and pop critic, Pete Paphides, concluded that bookmakers’ odds were pointless and there was no way of knowing who would take the prize.
“They don’t just give it to the most popular one! Come to think of it, they don’t even always give it to the best one!”
The victor can look forward to a sharp rise in royalties – last year’s winner, Elbow, watched their album sales quadruple.
Tonight’s ceremony will mark the first time, since the prize’s inception in 1992, that all 12 nominees have played live.
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