James Blake has won the 2013 Barclaycard Mercury Prize with his album ‘Overgrown’.
The album, his second, was picked above competition from Arctic Monkeys, Disclosure, Villagers, Rudimental and David Bowie and the bookies favourite Laura Mvula. Upon winning the award, the 22nd Mercury Prize, he delivered a short speech, and said: “Thank you to my parents for showing me the importance of being independent.”
He follows in the footsteps of Primal Scream, Badly Drawn Boy, Elbow, Ms Dynamite, Roni Size, Antony & The Johnsons, Speech Debelle and Alt-J, who have all won the prize. The ceremony, presented by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne, was held at London’s Roundhouse.
Laura Marling, whose fourth album ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ was nominated, her third album to pick up a Mercury nod, and David Bowie, whose comeback ‘The Next Day’ made the shortlist, were unable to attend the ceremony. They did both send videos to be shown at the event, however, Marling offering a video of ‘Master Hunter’, Bowie preferring to premiere the video of new single ‘Love Is Lost’, as remixed by James Murphy.
Foals were the first performers of the evening, playing ‘Inhaler’ from their third album ‘Holy Fire’, and were followed by Jake Bugg, who played an electrified version of ‘Lightning Bolt’ from a platform above the stage.
Laura Mvula was third up, performing ‘Father Father’ from her nominated debut ‘Sing To The Moon’, accompanying herself on a grand piano. Savages followed with ‘She Will’ from their debut album ‘Silence Yourself’, with Rudimental coming shortly afterward, joined by Ella Ayre, with ‘Waiting All Night’.
Disclosure performed ‘F For You’ from ‘Settle’ next, followed by Villagers, whose second album ‘(Awayland)’ secured them consecutive nominations. They performed ‘Nothing Arrived’.
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