Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2014 The biggest lessons from this year’s Mercury Prize

The Mercury Prize is all done and dusted for another year. After all the trials, tribulations, speculations and inevitable judge’s squabbles behind the scenes, ceremony presenter Nick Grimshaw opened his Very Important Envelope, and the card inside said Young Fathers.

Bestowed with the coveted title ‘Album of the Year’, as well as the unofficial award for ‘Most Impressive Winter Overcoats’, it remains to be seen just where the Edinburgh-based hip-hop trio’s new platform of recognition will take them next. That’s a question for a little further down the line, perhaps. Then there’s the huge potential exposure for everyone else on the shortlist, as well as the huge surges in popularity that the likes of Royal Blood are already experiencing. There’s bound to be something to say about the prominence of jazz in this year’s shortlist, represented by GoGo Penguin and Polar Bear. There will also be questions raised about just how much impact an artist’s live performance might, or might not, have on their eventual chances.

These are questions that get asked each time the prize comes back around, but what has this year in particular taught us? From unlikely friendships to hidden talents, here are the biggest lessons that DIY took away from this year’s Mercury Prize.