Jamie xx favourite to win this year’s Mercury Prize

Current DIY cover star Jamie xx has emerged as the early favourite to win this year’s Mercury Prize. In odds given by bookies Ladbrokes, Jamie xx’s new album ‘In Colour’ - which he released earlier this week - is the outright favourite with odds of 5/1.

Blur’s new record ‘The Magic Whip’ isn’t far behind at 10/1, closely followed by Wolf Alice’s forthcoming debut ‘My Love Is Cool’ at 16/1. With the same odds is Laura Marling, who has been shortlisted for the prestigious music prize three times already. Last year’s winners Young Fathers have odds of 20/1.

Fairing less well, but included nonetheless, are One Direction, who have a 100/1 chance of scooping the prize, apparently. Some favourites are:

Jamie xx - In Colour 5/1
Blur - The Magic Whip 10/1
Hot Chip - Why Make Sense? 16/1
Florence and the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful 16/1
Stornoway - Bonxie 16/1
Laura Marling - Short Movie 16/1
Everything Everything - Get to Heaven 16/1
Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool 16/1
Krept & Konan - The Long Way Home 16/1
Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers 16/1
Paul Weller - Saturn’s Pattern 20/1
Django Django - Born Under Saturn 20/1
James Bay - Chaos and the Calm 20/1
Savages - TBC 20/1
Marina & the Diamonds - Froot 20/1
Nadine Shah - Fast Food 20/1
Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too 20/1

For the full list of early Mercury favourites, head here. Read the DIY interview with Jamie xx here, and listen to ‘Loud Places’ below.