And the winner is: Speech Debelle scoops the Mercury Prize

by Luke Slater [Edit this content] ▾ 19 comments 22:31 September 8th, 2009

Yes! The Mercury Prize judges have come to a conclusion, after all has been seen, done and heard and the winner for 2009 is...Speech Debelle for the album Speech Therapy. Saw it coming? Perhaps not. But a deserved winner, I'm sure you'll agree. Ironically, however, her speech wasn't all that.

The 25-year-old Debelle told Lauren Laverne: "I feel so good". And so she might.

As is the way, all of the nominees performed a song to the audience at Grosvenor House in central London. All, that is, apart from Scottish gloomers Glasvegas, whose singer James Allan was ill, making it pretty hard for them to perform to their usual standard.

During the BBC coverage, anchor Lauren Laverne discussed the acts with Nihal and Miranda Sawyer. We couldn't quite work out what they were saying most of the time but never mind. Nihal said Kano was probably a little bit scary, and got himself particularly worked up about The Horrors. Shame.

The winner was picked from this twelve-act shortlist:

Kasabian — West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The Horrors — Primary Colours
Friendly Fires — Friendly Fires
Glasvegas — Glasvegas
La Roux — La Roux
Florence And The Machine — Lungs
Bat For Lashes — Two Suns
Lisa Hannigan — Sea Sew
The Invisible — The Invisible
Led Bib — Sensible Shoes
Sweet Billy Pilgrim — Twice Born Men
Speech Debelle — Speech Therapy

So now, the attention will eventually turn to next year, on which I have two words. Wild and Beasts.

Read our review of the winning act and album here.

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SamuelC | 8 Sep '09, 22:34 | X | Reply

She sounded on TV a bit like that girl from Life Without Buildings

I thought, anyhow...

vamos | 8 Sep '09, 22:56 | X | Reply

big up big dada

next year...

Joker, Darkstar, King Midus Sound, Kode 9, Ikonika, Burial all fighting it out with dance troups on top of the pops with The xx doing cover versions of all their stuff.

jimitheexploder | 8 Sep '09, 23:02 | X | Reply

bland...

Yet again an album your mum would like wins.
BORING.

BobbyBambino | 8 Sep '09, 23:02 | X | Reply

Dubstep for Mercury next year

Sukh Knight to win.

greenstone @jimitheexploder | 8 Sep '09, 23:13 | X | Reply

You don't know my mum very well.

All she listen to is Motown and Whitney Houston. She would not like this.

JoeDiddly @BobbyBambino | 8 Sep '09, 23:14 | X | Reply

Apparently, James Allan wasn't ill,

but has been missing since the weekend.

Speech Debelle: Um, yeah. I like her more than her ho-hum album. It's good to see Big Dada get a prize after Roots Manuva missed out, and I will be keeping a tally of the number of half-arsed entertainment reporters that mention Ms Dynamite in their pieces.

marckee | 8 Sep '09, 23:23 | X | Reply

What does it matter if mums like it too?! My mum likes it, I like it, the panel obviously liked it, and some bright spark at Plan B obviously liked her. I think they got it right this year.

joshjem | 8 Sep '09, 23:36 | X | Reply

looked a good performance

hope she does well out of it. the touts will when they snap up her scala tickets tonight.

i very much doubt either the xx or wild beasts will win next year. released far too early for next summer's judging.

when (if ever) has an album released in the preceeding calendar year won?

MarkP | 8 Sep '09, 23:52 | X | Reply

Six times.

But none since 2001 with PJH. Dummy was released 22 August the preceding year, which is around the same time as Wild Beasts and the XX.

JoeDiddly @MarkP | 9 Sep '09, 00:06 | X | Reply

thanks

in that case, i hope the judge's memories start to stretch again

MarkP @JoeDiddly | 9 Sep '09, 00:18 | X | Reply

lyrics are good...

..but isn't the music important? coffee table landfill backing tracks with good lyrics... sigh

vonesvonic | 9 Sep '09, 00:34 | X | Reply

surprise!

Whoa, never saw this one coming. Can't comment really because I am not a big fan of the genre.

carbonlakes | 9 Sep '09, 01:12 | X | Reply

yup

I reckon a hyperdub mega band will win it next year. Burial on the mic as he just doesn't shut the fuck up. Joker on synth, King Midus on bass, Iknoika on drums as she use to be in hardcore bands and Kode 9 as Bezz...

jimitheexploder @greenstone | 9 Sep '09, 01:25 | X | Reply

I'm sure this was the right decision

I wouldn't have particularly cared if the Horrors had won, though. I am very upset that the beautiful Portico Quartet and their mesmerising album wasn't released this year instead. Elbow deserved it last year, but Portico could easily have won the first 'jazz Mercury' this year in a weaker line-up. That's a band that deserve more respect, rather than just one band that once got a Mercury token nomination. Please let them release better, greater albums which will shake the world and re-introduce modern jazz as the art form it is

TheBeautifulOnes | 9 Sep '09, 09:04 | X | Reply