PJ Harvey Announced As Mercury Prize Winner

PJ Harvey has been announced as the winner of this year’s Mercury Prize for ‘Let England Shake’.

The win makes Harvey’s the first artist to achieve two Mercury victories, her first coming a decade ago for ‘Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea’ in 2001. You can read Jamie Milton’s 9/10 review for ‘Let England Shake’ here.

The award, won last year by The xx, was also contested by Anna Calvi, Elbow, James Blake, Katy B, Metronomy, Tinie Tempah, Gwilym Simcock, Everything Everything, Ghostpoet, Adele and King Creosote & John Hopkins.

The full list of nominated albums reads:

Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
Elbow - Build A Rocket, Boys
James Blake - James Blake
Katy B - On A Mission
Metronomy - The English Riviera
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Tinie Tempah - Discovery
Gwilym Simcock - The Impossible Gentleman
Everything Everything - Man Alive
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
Adele - 21

In the run up to the event PJ Harvey was the bookies favourite to win, with eleven of the twelve acts performing at the ceremony. Adele was forced to cancel a scheduled live appearance due to illness.