Mercury Prize reveals 2025 album shortlist

Newcastle will soon take centre stage in the UK’s music calendar as it prepares to host the 2025 Mercury Prize. 

And today (Wednesday, September 10), broadcaster Lauren Laverne, herself a North East native, announced the 12 contenders for the 2025 Mercury Prize on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds.

This year’s “Albums of the Year,” celebrating the art of the album as a stand-alone body of work, are:

• CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
• Emma-Jean Thackray – Weirdo
• FKA twigs – EUSEXUA
• Fontaines D.C. – Romance
• Jacob Alon – In Limerence
• Joe Webb – Hamstrings & Hurricanes
• Martin Carthy – Transform Me Then Into A Fish
• Pa Salieu – Afrikan Alien
• PinkPantheress – Fancy That
• Pulp – More
• Sam Fender – People Watching
• Wolf Alice – The Clearing

The shortlist blends Mercury newcomers with familiar names. 

Rising artists such as Jacob Alon and Joe Webb sit alongside household names including Wolf Alice, Fontaines D.C., and Pulp, while North Shields’ own Sam Fender, pictured below, has secured a place with his third chart-topping album, People Watching.

The announcement sets the stage for the awards show at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Thursday, October 16, where live performances from many of the shortlisted acts will take place before the overall winner is revealed.

BBC Music will provide full coverage across radio, television and digital platforms, ensuring fans across the UK and Ireland can share in the excitement.

The move north to Newcastle, in partnership with Newcastle City Council and The North East Combined Authority, represents a historic milestone for the Mercury Prize, which has been held in London since its inception in 1992. 

At an event at Newcastle department store Fenwick, coinciding with the shortlist announcement, city officials joined YolanDa Brown OBE DL, chair of UK record labels association, the BPI – which is home to the Mercury Prize – to celebrate what has been described as “a new dawn” for the award. 

YolanDa said: “The one way that I always describe the Mercury Prize is think of it as a time capsule. 

“A time capsule of the year, but also celebrating the art form that is the album. 

“If you have the chance, please listen to each of these albums. 

“You’ll enjoy their diverse sounds, the range of genres, and the stories these artists have to tell.”

YolanDa went on to add that the reception to moving the Mercury Prize to Newcastle had been “absolutely wonderful”.

“When we first announced that the Mercury Prize would be coming to Newcastle, I made the point that I had long held an ambition to see the event hosted outside of London for the first time,” she said.

“The welcome that my team has had, that the prize itself has had, that the artists that have been shortlisted this year have had, has been second to none. 

“Everywhere I go, everyone is buzzing. 

“There is a feverish excitement and nature about it. 

“It has been welcomed with open arms, and we can only thank you for taking this award and prize and cherishing it and magnifying it - all of us at the BPI have been blown away by the incredible response that we have seen to date.

“The warmth, the energy and excitement is off the scale, and with such brilliant Albums of the Year shortlisted alongside amazing demand for tickets from fans and a week-long series of fringe events as part of the build-up, I feel sure that we are going to witness one of the most memorable and special nights in the Prize’s history.”

YolanDa was greeted by councillor Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council, who expressed her “great pride” that the city would be hosting the prestigious award, building on the success of February’s MOBO Awards and the MOBO Fringe.

She said: “This a huge accolade for Newcastle and it’s a new dawn for this prestigious prize, with this being the first time it will be held outside of London.

“I think Newcastle is the best city in the world, so I feel it’s very fitting that Newcastle has been chosen as host city, not least because we are fast becoming the cultural heartbeat of the North of England and a true pioneer in the music industry. 

“We have incredible talent in this city and across the North East from all genres of music, as well as a support network led by Generator that is second to none. 

“Newcastle is becoming a place that provides opportunity, not only for upcoming musicians, but also for those who want to build a career in the music industry and help local musicians to learn, develop and succeed.

“While other cities are renowned for past icons of music, Newcastle is looking to the future.”

Karen added that while she wished all of the shortlisted artists the best of luck, she couldn’t help but highlight a local favourite. 

“As a Geordie, there’s obviously one name on there that stands out,” she said. 

“I’m sure I’m joined by many in this room in saying how proud we are of Sam Fender and his band for everything they’ve achieved over the past few years and for firmly putting the North East on the musical map and championing this region so vocally.” 

Alongside the main awards show, Generator – the North’s leading music development agency – is “powering” the Mercury Prize Newcastle Fringe from 9–15 October. 

Spanning all seven areas of the North East Combined Authority, the Fringe will bring live gigs, workshops, industry panels and artist talks to iconic venues including The Glasshouse, in Gateshead; Pop Recs, in Sunderland; Queens Hall Arts, in Northumberland; and World Headquarters and Tyneside Cinema, in Newcastle. 

Activities will explore music production, broadcasting, songwriting and album-making, while record store listening events will engage local communities and support independent businesses.

David Haley, chair of Generator, added: “The Mercury Prize coming to Newcastle is historic, but the Fringe is what makes it belong to everyone. 

“From folk music in Northumberland to the northern festival of jazz, from rap and R&B showcases to production master classes at the iconic World Headquarters club, the Fringe will cut across genres and generations. 

“But more than that, it brings the major players of the music industry here to the North, showing them our talent, our venues and our audiences on a national stage, and proving exactly what this region is made of. 

“Generator has been the driving force behind the North’s music scene for over three decades, and we’re determined that this moment doesn’t just put our city in the spotlight for one night, but leaves a legacy of skills, opportunities and visibility that will shape the future of music in the North for generations to come."

For full details of the Fringe events, see here.

The 2025 Mercury Prize also welcomes a range of partners. 

LNER will act as the official travel partner, while adidas will host a Mercury Prize display in END. stores and Fenwick will showcase the 12 ‘Albums of the Year,’ featuring live performances and creative workshops in-store during the Mercury Fringe.

Bowers & Wilkins continues as the official audio partner, supporting the Prize’s celebration of the album format and UK music innovation.

With the shortlist now revealed, Newcastle is preparing to welcome artists, fans and industry leaders for a month of music that will put the North East firmly in the national spotlight.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness captured the excitement and anticipation surrounding the region’s first-ever hosting of the Mercury Prize.

She said: “It is such a massive moment for the city and for the region. 

“The first time the iconic Mercury Music Prize has moved out of London and it’s chosen Newcastle, and that is for a very good reason. 

“We are great at hosting these massive events, because everybody who comes here will get that famous welcome that our region is known for. 

“It’ll get the people out on the streets and they will really support it and get behind it.

“And kids will see those artists on that stage. They’ll see the winners. They’ll know it happened here, and they’ll know they can do it too. They’ll see that it could be part of their future. And for me, that’s completely priceless. 

“So, to totally rip off Sam Fender, I’ll just say that we’re only just getting started.”

The last remaining tickets can be bought here, while full programme details will be revealed soon.

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