Mercury Prize 2023: Loyle Carner and Young Fathers among favourites to win
Loyle Carner, Young Fathers and Jockstrap are among the favourites to win the 2023 Mercury Prize, which takes place in London on Thursday night.
Jessie Ware and J Hus are also up for the award, which recognises the best British and Irish albums of the year.
And Arctic Monkeys are on the shortlist for the fifth time, tying them with Radiohead as the most-nominated act in the 32-year history of the Mercury.
The winner will be announced live on BBC Four and 6 Music at 22:00 BST.
The ceremony will see performances from the majority of the 12 nominated acts, including pop star Raye, jazz outfit Ezra Collective and soul singer Olivia Dean.
Only Arctic Monkeys and breakout dance star Fred Again will be absent, due to touring commitments.
Alex Turner now has six Mercury nominations – five with the Arctic Monkeys and one with The Last Shadow Puppets
Going into the ceremony, rapper Loyle Carner is favourite to win, with his deeply personal album Hugo, inspired by a reconciliation with his estranged father.
Bookmakers have the Londoner on odds of 4-1, closely followed by former winners Young Fathers, who are on 5-1 for their eclectic, percussive Heavy, Heavy.
Experimental pop artists Jockstrap also have favourable odds – but it’s worth remembering that the only predictable aspect of the Mercury Prize is its unpredictability.
Sometimes, the judges pick unassailable cultural milestones like Pulp’s Different Class (1996) or Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006).
On other occasions, they overlook an album like Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black in favour of The Klaxons’ Myths Of The Near Future (2007).
“To me, a Mercury album is something that feels unique,” says broadcaster Jamz Supernova, who is on this year’s panel alongside musician Anna Calvi, critic Will Hodgkinson, and Radio 2’s head of music Jeff Smith.
“Is it their best work yet? Is this an album that future generations of music makers are going to study? I really hope so.”
Fred Again’s set at Glastonbury drew a huge crowd last month
Judges decide the winner on the night, with deliberations often continuing until the very final moment.
The announcement will be made live at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, with Lauren Laverne on hosting duties.
Until then, here’s a guide to each of the nominated albums.