The Leeds indie band English Teacher have won the Mercury prize for their debut album, This Could Be Texas. Formed in 2020, the four-piece formed at Leeds Conservatoire and signed to Island records to release their first album.
In a 9/10 review for website the Line of Best Fit, critic Kieran Macadie said that the band set themselves apart from their post-punk peers, many of whom hail from south London, thanks to their “northern charm”.
Seemingly lost for words as they collected the award, the band members said they “didn’t really plan this far”.
“We just thought we’d make a band,” said Lily Fontaine in disbelief, as her bandmates paid tribute to members of the Leeds music community including Nathan Clark, owner of the Brudenell Music Social Club venue. “What do we do now?” said Fontaine.
They take home a prize of £25,000.
The Mercury was “set to celebrate the album as an artistic format in its own right”, DJ Jamz Supernova said when presenting the award. In a statement, the judges said the album stood 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.”
English Teacher’s win is arguably a surprise: Charli xcx’s Brat was odds-on favourite to win, having dominated the summer to the point of influencing the US presidential election. Yet xcx herself was not at the ceremony, with her co-producers AG Cook and Easyfun (AKA Finn Keane) there on her behalf.
This week, English Teacher announced that they were scrapping their upcoming US tour “for health reasons”. They previously told the Guardian about the challenges of making a living even as a relatively acclaimed act signed to a major label and who have performed on Later… With Jools Holland and receive regular BBC 6 Music airplay.
“The reality is that it’s normal for all of these achievements to coexist alongside being on Universal Credit, living at home or sofa surfing,” said Fontaine.
This year’s ceremony was held in straitened circumstances after the Mercury’s partnership with taxi company Freenow ended last year. This year’s prize failed to find a new sponsor, and so the usual live event – in which each nominated act would usually have performed live – was a stripped-back affair broadcast from Abbey Road studios, presented by BBC radio presenters Huw Stephens and Annie Mac, in which the acts watched footage of each others’ prior appearances on the BBC.
“Despite efforts to match up with a suitable new partner, in what is clearly a tough arts funding environment, we weren’t able to secure one within the timeframe and the level of funding required,” BPI chief executive Jo Twist told Music Week recently. “With no sponsor, we unfortunately aren’t in a position to put on a live show this year to the high production values and standards we hold ourselves to.”
Last year’s winner, Ezra Collective – the first jazz act to win the award – saw an 859% year-on-year increase in combined streams and sales, according to BPI figures. In a VT with the band filmed after their 2023 win, they paid tribute to their origins in the London youth club Tomorrow’s Warriors.
This year’s prize featured four second-time nominees – Charli xcx, rapper Berwyn, songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae and rapper Ghetts – and eight first-time nominees: jungle producer Nia Archives, indie-pop songwriter CMAT, songwriter Cat Burns, dance producer Barry Can’t Swim, baroque-poppers the Last Dinner Party, composer corto.alto – and de facto first-time nominee Beth Gibbons, who won as a member of Portishead in 1995 for their debut album, Dummy.
Twist described the Mercury’s remit in 2024 as “ultimately about starting a national conversation about great albums and artists telling their stories through the medium”.
This year’s judges were broadcaster and writer Danielle Perry; musician and Radio 2 presenter Jamie Cullum; DJ and BBC 6 Music presenter Jamz Supernova; BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music head of music Jeff Smith; music programming consultant Lea Stonhill; broadcaster, songwriter and DJ Mistajam; BBC Radio 1 presenter and DJ Sian Eleri; and the journalists Will Hodgkinson, Sophie Williams and Phil Alexander.
