:00:18. > :00:28.THIS PRO-GRAHAM CONTAINS SOME STRONG LANGUAGE -- PROGRAMME
:00:28. > :00:43.
:00:43. > :00:51.HELLO, YOU. Welcome to the Grosvenor House Hotel, here in
:00:51. > :00:54.London's West End for the Mercury Prize, 2011 awards show. Last year
:00:54. > :01:04.the XX scoped the prize. We will find out who has won this time
:01:04. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :01:10.around. We are here with you on BBC Two and BBC HD until 10.30pm. For
:01:10. > :01:14.more press red. Radio coverage continues on radio 6 Music. I am
:01:15. > :01:24.about to hook up with tonight's first guest. First let's look at
:01:25. > :01:29.
:01:29. > :01:34.the nominees arriving earlier I've got so many friends that are
:01:35. > :01:38.nominated like Katy B and Adele. All the albums are incredible. I'm
:01:38. > :01:44.chuffed. Everyone's had a great album. Everyone's put so much of
:01:44. > :01:48.their heart and soul into it. celebrates good work, not how
:01:48. > :01:52.commercial you are. How do you judge a D-Day against a band,
:01:52. > :01:59.against a piano player? It is difficult to do that. I am trying
:01:59. > :02:04.to get myself comfortable. We've done a sweep-stake. We all have
:02:04. > :02:08.different favourites. I really like Adele's voice. It is a soulful
:02:08. > :02:14.voice. It is not really talked about. You don't want to share out
:02:14. > :02:18.the money before you find out you've won. Nerves and excitement
:02:18. > :02:23.on the red carpet. Joining me now, a gentleman who has experienced all
:02:23. > :02:27.sides of the Mercury. You have been dominated a couple of years ago
:02:27. > :02:33.with your band The Invisible. You judged as well. This year you
:02:33. > :02:39.appear on a nominated album. You have seen it all, really. How do
:02:39. > :02:45.the nominees feel tonight? How it is down there? It has been exciting.
:02:45. > :02:52.It is a great list. Some great records. I would be happy if all
:02:52. > :02:57.won. You know some of the acts. You are on Anna Calvi's record. How do
:02:57. > :03:02.you fancy her chances? She would be a deserving winner. It is an
:03:02. > :03:12.incredible record. Stay with us. Best of luck. First of all, let's
:03:12. > :03:12.
:03:12. > :03:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds
:03:59. > :04:04.look at the list of nominees OK, so I've got some more people
:04:04. > :04:07.joining me to give me their qualifyed two pennies. I have
:04:07. > :04:16.Miranda Sawyer and Shaun Keaveny. Welcome to you both. Thank you for
:04:16. > :04:20.having us. It is the 20th Mercury, which was won the first time by
:04:20. > :04:26.Primal Scream. There is not a big all-out rock act, which there
:04:26. > :04:30.normally is, at some point. If you think about acts like Tinie Tempah,
:04:30. > :04:35.Katy B, Ghostpoets, James Blake - they've all come from the dance
:04:35. > :04:43.scene, but they are making different music, very versatile in
:04:43. > :04:48.a way we've not had in a while. favour a face-melting guitar solo.
:04:48. > :04:51.Are you sad at the lack of rock? That is why I am glad Anna Calvi is
:04:51. > :04:56.here. She represents the guitar. Everything Everything, a Little
:04:56. > :05:02.Rocky. It is not all about the rock. I do have my subtle side as well.
:05:02. > :05:06.You are a complex man. I enjoy all that. There is a folky side, a
:05:06. > :05:10.dancey side to it. Wondering which way it will go is interesting.
:05:10. > :05:14.this point in the evening a lot of people will think, yes it is all
:05:14. > :05:18.decided. Is it possible the judges could still be making their minds
:05:18. > :05:22.up? Very much so. There's no way of predicting what is happening in
:05:22. > :05:27.that room. It is essentially an honest discussion about people's
:05:27. > :05:31.honest opinions and seeing whether they can converge in some way.
:05:31. > :05:34.There is a lot of shouting - I think that is the year I was on the
:05:34. > :05:43.panel. It was my fault. Let's look at some of the clips of
:05:43. > :05:48.performances we have enjoyed here in the lovely Great Room of grove
:05:48. > :05:52.nor House. # A live style
:05:52. > :05:55.# Eat your heart out # Put your arms out
:05:55. > :06:05.# I've got so many # Disturbing London
:06:05. > :06:27.
:06:27. > :06:37.# Desire # These are the words
:06:37. > :07:09.
:07:09. > :07:14.# These, these, little words, So, a taste of the first few short
:07:14. > :07:21.listed artists there. Right, let's discuss them. Starting with one of
:07:21. > :07:26.the Babies of the bunch, Adele, 22. Rascal, won it at 19. Could he do
:07:26. > :07:30.it this year? It is unlikely he'll win. It should be there. I think
:07:31. > :07:34.what is interesting about Tinie, if you think about his first track
:07:34. > :07:39.from that album, it was an underground track that took over
:07:40. > :07:44.the world. You saw that performance. He's now playing stadiums. He's out
:07:44. > :07:49.there doing all the festivals. His record is essentially, it came from
:07:49. > :07:53.the urban underground sound. It is now the sound of suburban Britain.
:07:53. > :08:02.It is everywhere, you know. different tip Anna Calvi. I will
:08:02. > :08:06.not ask you. You might be biased! Why have you been beguiled by her
:08:06. > :08:16.album? That incredible noise she makes. She has a powerful voice,
:08:16. > :08:23.for one so bird-like and small and delicate. It is like Roy Orbison.
:08:23. > :08:28.It sound like it could come from anywhere in the last 50 years.
:08:28. > :08:34.24th album by Gwilym Simcock has been nominated. Obviously a jazz
:08:34. > :08:39.one. There's always a jazz one at the Mercury. Is it important to
:08:39. > :08:43.keep the genres broad here? It is great if you can think of music as
:08:43. > :08:46.music and not see genre distinctions. In a way the Mercury
:08:47. > :08:51.celebrates that by having a broad spectrum of different types of
:08:51. > :08:58.music. I think it is great that great instrumentalists and
:08:58. > :09:03.composers are represented at this award. I was converted to that. A
:09:03. > :09:07.quick thought on PJ Harvey. She won it ten years ago. It is hard to sum
:09:07. > :09:14.her up. She is such an important figure in music. She should win.
:09:14. > :09:20.She did anal dumb of -- album of protest songs. When she performs,
:09:20. > :09:26.she performs a jolly song about limbs of soldiers in trees. It is
:09:26. > :09:30.an amazing piece of work. A complete work of songs, treated
:09:30. > :09:40.beautifully. She is the bookie's favourite. We will find out, the
:09:40. > :09:53.
:09:53. > :09:56.announcement is imminent. Now let's # You may have the money
:09:56. > :10:06.# You've got to go # It's sensible
:10:06. > :10:20.
:10:20. > :10:30.# I won't let you fall # I promise to crawl
:10:30. > :10:39.
:10:39. > :10:49.# I feel it easy to resume # This year, I swear
:10:49. > :11:04.
:11:04. > :11:06.# All that I know is I'm falling Glimpses of some earlier
:11:06. > :11:10.performances from here at the Mercury Prize F you wonder how to
:11:10. > :11:16.see more, it's easy. Stay with us until the end of the show then
:11:16. > :11:20.press your red button and you can see all of those performances in
:11:20. > :11:24.full. We've had to say goodbye to Dave.
:11:24. > :11:29.He's gone to take up his seat downstairs. So important is this
:11:29. > :11:33.announcement, let's dissect the next four. Gwilym Simcock has done
:11:33. > :11:39.24 records. King Creosote, who we saw there with Jon Hopkins is now
:11:39. > :11:43.on to his 40th. It's showing off, isn't it? He's an incredible figure
:11:43. > :11:49.in the folk scene. Very, very important. What do you think of his
:11:49. > :11:53.records? He's one of the -- it's one of the most emotionally-
:11:53. > :11:57.affecting records. There was not a dry eye in the house. As far as the
:11:57. > :12:05.record is concerned, on that basis, I think it is one of the favourites.
:12:05. > :12:10.Whether it is cutting edge enough. 7-1. William Hill lose �40,000 if
:12:10. > :12:16.he wins. Do you think it is a bitter pill. Good news for him if
:12:16. > :12:20.it happens. What about Metronomy? The English Riviera. It is so
:12:20. > :12:27.imagining a great scene. basically moved away from his home
:12:27. > :12:34.town. Then he wanted to make it like a Roman tick version. It is a
:12:34. > :12:39.brand of -- romantic version. It is a brand of English seaside. They
:12:39. > :12:47.did a beautiful performance as well. They had the shoplifter tags that
:12:47. > :12:52.glowed in the dark. I loved beats going on. James Blake is one of
:12:52. > :12:56.your favourites. Do you think he could win? He's my favourite to win.
:12:56. > :13:03.I think he's - there's something about that, it is like a future
:13:03. > :13:08.blues he does. Tonight, again, an incredibly emotional performance.
:13:08. > :13:14.Briefly, Katy B, On A Mission? has a good chance. It's a dance
:13:14. > :13:19.record she does not wail. She has an honest voice. The lyrics are
:13:19. > :13:29.fantastic about what it's like to go clubbing. It's a great record.
:13:29. > :13:30.
:13:30. > :13:34.# Baby # I have an old story to be told
:13:34. > :13:44.# I'm going to make your head burn # Think of me
:13:44. > :14:13.
:14:14. > :14:23.# I had a couple of drinks # A little bit
:14:24. > :14:26.
:14:26. > :14:36.# I'll pick you up # Just carry me home #
:14:36. > :14:48.
:14:48. > :14:55.# You were a freshly painted angel # Walking on walls
:14:55. > :15:05.# Nobody knows me at home anymore. Press the red button if you want to
:15:05. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:10.see that. Let's start with one artist's record. What are your
:15:10. > :15:16.thoughts? What was fantastic is it was a VT. Everyone else was live.
:15:16. > :15:18.How well do we know that song. Everybody just shut up. It's an
:15:18. > :15:22.amazingly passionate, enormous record that perhaps should be
:15:22. > :15:25.considered, you know? Just because it's big because everybody knows it
:15:25. > :15:30.doesn't mean it's not great record. There are some fantastic songs in
:15:30. > :15:34.there, so fantastic you think you know them before they have even
:15:34. > :15:39.started. Everything Everything, a Manchester-based band with a kind
:15:39. > :15:42.of art-rock sound I know you find quite energetic and beguiling. Why
:15:42. > :15:49.is that? I don't know. I remember speaking to the bass player about
:15:49. > :15:55.it, and he described it as 21st century sex music. Quite frantic
:15:55. > :16:00.sex. Very in places. Falsetto in some places. Let's not go too
:16:00. > :16:05.deeply into this. Mercifully, we're pressed for this. I am joined to
:16:05. > :16:08.the other end of the spectrum, Ghostpoet, Peanut Butter Blues and
:16:08. > :16:14.Melancholy Jam. A lot of people are talking to me about him today. What
:16:14. > :16:20.do you make of him? A reason to talk about him is he's an amazing
:16:20. > :16:27.lyricist. One of the tracks he's done is called Survivor. He's seen
:16:27. > :16:32.the point of view from my age, 44, how his life turns out. I think, he
:16:32. > :16:37.can't be 44. It's too good. Lyrically, it's spot on. Finally,
:16:37. > :16:41.2008 winners Elbow, do you think they can win it again? I don't know.
:16:41. > :16:45.It's never happened that somebody has won twice. Just speaking to
:16:45. > :16:50.them, you think they really want to win it. I think they would prefer
:16:50. > :16:54.someone else to get a leg-up. They're just great for hugginging,
:16:54. > :16:56.aren't they, built for huging? Listen. It's almost time for that
:16:56. > :17:01.all-important announcement. I am going to actually head down there
:17:01. > :17:08.into the merry throng to get closer to the action. Before I do, why
:17:08. > :17:12.don't Wen joy some memorable moments from the past 20 Mercury
:17:12. > :17:19.Prizes. The Mercury Prize usually features
:17:19. > :17:22.several debuts, a veteran artist, some rockers, a young folky
:17:22. > :17:26.singer/songwriter, Radiohead and a sprinkling of experimental jazz.
:17:26. > :17:30.am like a contrast between an orange and a spaceship and a potted
:17:30. > :17:36.plant and a spoon. Over the years we have seen some fantastic
:17:36. > :17:45.performances at the awards. One of the most memorable was a
:17:45. > :17:55.poignant tour de force in 2007. winner is... The tension on the
:17:55. > :17:56.
:17:56. > :18:00.floor is genuine. As the result is only decided shortly before Jools's
:18:00. > :18:08.announcement. Elbow. The winners have included 13 debut albums and
:18:08. > :18:13.few surprises. Some winners are emotional. Thank you very much.
:18:13. > :18:19.Some gracious. Somebody call 999. Somebody has been robbed. Some
:18:20. > :18:24.speechless. Some lose their money... There's the cheque. And some like
:18:25. > :18:29.Klaxons lose the plot. Make sense for us, please.
:18:29. > :18:33.My word. I'll never forget that sweaty 3.00am embrace from Klaxons
:18:33. > :18:36.as they won that. The atmosphere here on the floor is, well, pretty
:18:36. > :18:41.much intense, really, I suppose, is the way to describe it. I am here
:18:41. > :18:46.in the press bit. I can see the judges' table over there. I can see
:18:46. > :18:50.Adele's table slap bang over there, the nominees. I think Dave is here.
:18:50. > :18:54.Come over. How has your night been so far? It has been really, really
:18:54. > :19:00.lovely. Yeah, it has been great, fantastic. Some fab performances.
:19:00. > :19:04.Amazing. How is it down on your table? Look. There is your Anna
:19:04. > :19:08.looking beautiful. How is she feeling? She says she was slightly
:19:08. > :19:13.nervous, but you can never tell when she's on stage because she's
:19:13. > :19:16.so authoritative. She takes charge. She really does. I like that in a
:19:16. > :19:19.woman. Who do you think will win? Do you have a feeling in your
:19:19. > :19:27.bones? Not really. I think it's impossible to tell, and I think
:19:27. > :19:34.there is a lot of albums on this list that deserve to win. I really
:19:34. > :19:39.love Anna Calvi's album, Ghostpoet. PJ Harvey's album is mind-blowing.
:19:39. > :19:42.You're a conflicted man! In a way it's a terrible thing to see.
:19:42. > :19:46.falling apart. Dave's difficulties must end. It's time for the
:19:46. > :19:56.announcement, time to find out that all-important winner, so right now
:19:56. > :20:06.
:20:06. > :20:14.Welcome back to the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize.
:20:14. > :20:18.APPLAUSE How lovely to see you. Yes! The
:20:18. > :20:23.Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2011. Congratulations, of course, to all
:20:23. > :20:26.of the superb 12 artists that were involved, and before I reveal the
:20:26. > :20:36.overall winner, let's remind ourselves of those 12 excellent
:20:36. > :20:36.
:20:36. > :21:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds
:21:26. > :21:31.There we are, 12 fantastic albums, and 12 fantastic artists. The
:21:31. > :21:36.moment of truth is drawing closer. The panel of esteemed judges have
:21:36. > :21:39.been sitting in their robes in their sealed chamber debating right
:21:39. > :21:43.up until the very last moment tonight. They should have now -
:21:43. > :21:48.they have now reached their decision, which has been based
:21:48. > :21:56.purely upon the music on the album. There are 12 albums, but only one
:21:56. > :21:58.can be the overall winner, and in this envelope I have the cheque, so
:21:58. > :22:02.I won't open that. LAUGHTER
:22:02. > :22:06.I'll just put this carefully here, but do remind me to give it to the
:22:06. > :22:12.artist, won't you? But in this envelope I have the winner, so
:22:12. > :22:22.let's without further adieu open it up - get to the point!
:22:22. > :22:26.
:22:26. > :22:29.The winner of the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize is PJ Harvey for his
:22:29. > :22:39.album Let England Shake. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:22:39. > :22:48.
:22:48. > :22:58.Please stand aside and allow PJ Harvey to the stage to collect a
:22:58. > :23:12.
:23:12. > :23:19.well-deserved award and nicely written-out cheque.
:23:19. > :23:24.After you. OK. Well, first of all, I would like to say thank you very
:23:24. > :23:33.much for this award. And thank you for the recognition of my work on
:23:33. > :23:39.this album. It's actually very good to be here this evening because
:23:39. > :23:44.when I last won, which was ten years ago on September 11th 2001, I
:23:44. > :23:50.was in Washington, DC watching the Pentagon burning from my hotel
:23:50. > :23:55.window, so it's good to be here, and so much has happened since then.
:23:55. > :24:00.This album took me a long time to write, and it was very important to
:24:00. > :24:08.me. I wanted to make something that was meaningful not just for myself,
:24:08. > :24:14.but for other people and hopefully to make something that would last,
:24:14. > :24:21.and I'd like to thank some people also. I'd like to thank the people
:24:21. > :24:25.that have supported me throughout my career for over 20 years - my
:24:25. > :24:32.manager, Paul McGuinness and Sally Ann McCuean.
:24:32. > :24:42.APPLAUSE My record company, Island Records.
:24:42. > :24:45.
:24:45. > :24:48.APPLAUSE My agent Jeff Craft. Thank you.
:24:48. > :24:57.APPLAUSE And those who helped me make the
:24:57. > :25:07.record Let England Shake, and those people are Flood, Rob Kerwyn, John
:25:07. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:24.Perish, Mick Harvey and John Mark Let's hear it once again for the
:25:24. > :25:38.
:25:38. > :25:41.wonderful PJ Harvey. OK. I'm back on the balcony with
:25:41. > :25:44.Miranda, Shaun and judge Corinne Bailey Rae. How us the was it this
:25:44. > :25:48.year? It was a tough decision because there were so many great
:25:48. > :25:52.records, but we were all in agreement about this album that it
:25:53. > :25:58.just stands out. It's incredible in its scope and in its style of
:25:58. > :26:02.writing, the music, the songs and just the lyrics as well - it stands
:26:02. > :26:04.out as being really imaginative and almost sin thatmatic. It was a
:26:05. > :26:09.great record. Absolutely. What do you think this record says about
:26:09. > :26:15.British music in 2011? Because that's part of the judging
:26:15. > :26:22.criteria? What do you think it says about our music scene? I think it
:26:22. > :26:29.says a lot about what it means to be English, how you can be proud of
:26:29. > :26:32.your country with so much knowledge of the atrocities that England
:26:32. > :26:37.perpetuates and has perpetuated in the world, so it's this heavy
:26:37. > :26:43.record about war, destruction, hope and change, but also she carries it
:26:43. > :26:47.in such a beautiful way, and, you know, the language and the
:26:47. > :26:50.musicality really do set it apart, so I think it says a lot about
:26:50. > :26:54.Britishness rather than what it's about to be in Britain today.
:26:54. > :26:59.were desperate for her to win. You punched the air when she won.
:26:59. > :27:03.really pleased. Why? I thought she might not win because she's won it
:27:03. > :27:07.before, but I think it's fantastic to acknowledge an artist can last a
:27:07. > :27:12.long time. These awards have been going a long time. Some are going
:27:12. > :27:15.to get nominated again, and if they make a great album, let them win it.
:27:16. > :27:20.Since it has been out I have played it over and over. It's a great
:27:20. > :27:24.record. A short word because we have Pauley arriving any second.
:27:24. > :27:28.Extremely exciting. If it can happen to anybody, it can happen to
:27:28. > :27:30.PJ Harvey. She's here now. She is. Bring her in. Thank you very much,
:27:30. > :27:34.guys. Lovely to see you. Congratulations. As you mentioned
:27:34. > :27:39.in your speech, you have won once before, which was a very different
:27:39. > :27:43.evening to tonight. How do you feel It feels absolutely wonderful I
:27:43. > :27:47.mean, to actually be here, but also to win it for this record, and this
:27:47. > :27:52.record means such a lot to me, and I knew I'd put everything I could
:27:52. > :27:58.into it, and it's just wonderful to have the recognition come back that
:27:58. > :28:02.other people have appreciated it, so... It was recorded in 19th
:28:02. > :28:08.century church, wasn't it? Was the recording experience - presumably a
:28:08. > :28:11.million miles away from this. Was it an intense experience? It was
:28:11. > :28:15.the most enjoyable time I have ever had recording a record. It was very
:28:15. > :28:18.quick. We recorded it in five weeks, and it was just a wonderful
:28:18. > :28:23.atmosphere there in the church and amongst the people that were
:28:23. > :28:26.working on it. We had the best and the happiest time making it. Well,
:28:26. > :28:30.congratulations. Thank you again. Hit the red button if you want more
:28:30. > :28:40.mercurys at the end of the show. For now, we will bid you goodbye
:28:40. > :28:40.
:28:40. > :29:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds
:29:26. > :29:29.with the winner of this year's # What if I take my problem to the
:29:29. > :29:32.United Nations? # What if I take my problem to the
:29:32. > :29:40.United Nations? # What if I take my problem to the
:29:40. > :29:44.United Nations? # What if I take my problem to the
:29:44. > :29:54.United Nations? # What if I take my problem to the
:29:54. > :29:58.