The latest in The Last Shadow Puppets

Mercury picks dark horses and rising stars

2010-04-16T12:37:39Z

It is the music prize that purports to reward quality over quantity. This year the Nationwide Mercury prize judges aimed to prove it by overlooking huge sellers from Duffy and Coldplay in favour of an eclectic mix of homegrown talent they said confirmed the enduring strength of the album in the digital age.

Duffy, who has recorded the biggest selling single and album so far...

Mercury Music Prize 2008 nominations announced

2010-06-12T14:13:43Z

As always, it has been a "remarkably rich year for music", one in which the epic melancholy of Elbow's fourth album gets recognition alongside debut efforts from Adele, Laura Marling and the Last Shadow Puppets. We speak, of course, of the Nationwide Mercury Prize, an award whose judges pride themselves on the eclecticism and integrity of their choices w...

Mercury's message for the album charts

2010-06-11T23:40:33Z

His Mercury prize nomination has already forced him to reveal his identity and seen him move from outsider to favourite. Now the low-profile dubstep artist Burial has recorded a huge leap in album sales.

The so-called "Mercury effect" has become more pronounced in recent years as lesser-known artists have benefited from the boost in profile provided by a nomination for the prize.

Weekly sales of Burial's critically acclaimed second album, Untrue, have surged by 361%, accordi...

Elbow shoulders aside competition in Mercury prize

2010-04-16T12:38:24Z

For an award that often divides opinion and prompts questions about the judging criteria, it was perhaps the most popular winner in the 16-year history of the Nationwide Mercury Prize.

After 18 years of releasing critically acclaimed albums that never quite broke through to the mainstream, and battling against indifferent radio stations and record labels, the Mancunian guitar band Elbow last night triumphed over Britain's prestigious Nationwide Mercury Music Prize, awarded annually for the country's best album, according to bookmakers on Wednesday.

Previous winners of the award include Portishead, Dizzee Rascal, Alex Turner and Miles Kane of The Last Shadow Puppets attend the NME Awards at the O2 Brixton Academy London, England. ....Wednesday 25th February 2009