Sunderland’s Lauren Laverne will be back on hosting duties when the Mercury Prize returns to Newcastle on October 22 – and she’ll be presiding over a sell-out crowd at the city’s Utilita Arena.
The BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, who also fronted last year’s ceremony, will oversee a night featuring performances from some of the biggest names in British music, including two North East acts hoping to follow Sam Fender’s home-turf triumph in 2025.
South Shields star JADE and Newcastle jazz outfit Knats are both shortlisted for the prestigious album prize and will perform live on the night, alongside Florence + The Machine, Dove Ellis, Kojey Radical, Nia Archives, Olivia Dean, RAYE and Suede. Pulp will perform on behalf of War Child Records’ HELP(2) album.
The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC Four from 9.30pm, while BBC Radio 6 Music presenters Deb Grant and Nathan Shepherd will broadcast from Newcastle from 7pm, with Matt Everitt reporting backstage.
Meanwhile, further details have emerged of the Mercury Prize Fringe, a week-long programme organised by North East music development agency Generator, with businesses, cultural organisations, artists and young people across Newcastle getting involved.
Among the additions is the LNER Mini Mercury Choir, bringing together schoolchildren from across the region to perform two songs at Newcastle Central Station.
Students from Newcastle College are also getting involved, with the Mandela Collective designing official Mercury Prize pin badges to be presented to shortlisted artists.
Meanwhile, students from the college’s Chefs Academy have been tasked with creating the starter for the awards night menu, using local and seasonal ingredients.
Newcastle artist Sam Wood is producing a series of paintings interpreting the artwork from each of the 12 shortlisted albums.
Fenwick is also joining the celebrations, with a Fan Zone at The Tavern featuring live performances by six North East artists selected through a Generator open call. Each will perform original material alongside an acoustic cover of a song from one of this year’s shortlisted albums.
The department store will also stage a Food Hall takeover as part of Fringe week.
The wider programme includes live performances, listening parties, film screenings, workshops and talks across Newcastle, bringing local musicians and music fans into the celebrations surrounding one of the UK’s most significant music awards.