Post-Mercury Monkey business: bar bouncers and charity donations

Following their Mercury Prize win on Tuesday night, Arctic Monkeys were almost prevented from partying at the awards' aftershow, as bouncers at the Met Bar weren't convinced that the band were of legal drinking age.

Unable to produce any identification, the winning trio were eventually ushered in by someone who recognised who they were. Poor wee lambs. The band, of course, had to resort to using fake IDs while touring the States to 'prove' that they were over 21.

The band also told reporters that they will donate the £20,000 Mercury Prize money to a charity, although they wouldn't confirm which one specifically.

A joint statement from the group reads:

"We had a fantastic night and we're really chuffed with winning the award. It was unexpected but it means a lot to us as the competition was from other musicians we really respect. We strongly believe in the ethos of the Nationwide Mercury Prize in that it is about the music and not everything else that goes with it and are therefore really flattered by the decision.

"Regarding the £20,000 cheque, we are going to donate it to a worthy charity which we would prefer to keep private. We have discussed it with [former bassist] Andy [Nicholson] who played an equal part in the making of the album and he is happy with our choice. As for the near future, we are really looking forward to taking a break to continue writing our new album."