Mercury Music Prize: Review

Dressed in our, ahem, Tuesday best, Muso’s Guide got to hang out on the balcony at London’s swanky Grosvenor House to watch the Mercury Music Prize 2008. We spent most of the night looking down on the back of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ collective lion-esque mane.

You’ve seen our preview, right? If not, here it is: http://www.musosguide.com/musos.wp/?p=136

We said we wanted Elbow to win, but we stuck our tenner on Laura Marling. And damn it, we should’ve had more faith in the panel.

So in similarly concise fashion, here’s a rundown of what we thought of the night’s performances. Yep, that’s right, the stuff that wasn’t on TV. In order of how we saw it, a little like this:

The Last Shadow Puppets
With a 15-piece orchestra and a conductor, Kane and Turner look like they’ve been swept in on wave from the 1960s. The sense of grandeur is enormous as they play ‘The Age Of The Understatement’. But it’s still not innovative, merely charming. Merely, she says…

Neon Neon
Complete with a cameo from Har Mar Superstar, Neon Neon go all out with a medley of ‘Mystery Girls’, ‘I Told Her On Alderaan’, and ‘Trick For Treat’. And it’s super-schmaltzy, far more accessible and hook-laden live than listened to through headphones. Hell, even Cate Le Bon makes an appearance.

Rachel Unthank and The Winterset
To say that Rachel Unthank has a piercing voice would be to underestimate the charm of The Winterset; ‘Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk’ is timeless, sparse folk which entirely fails to come across on the television. The way that the parts collaborate to make something larger is rare, a real visual gift.

British Sea Power
Playing ‘No Lucifer’, BSP step up the gear a notch or fifteen. They make a statement without being markedly traditional, controversial, or innovative – and that’s a massive compliment. At the time, we feel it might just be their night – the performance is esoteric, HUGE. And the London Bulgarian Choir add a cherry on the top.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
The first non-live performance, a version ‘Gone Gone Gone’ is streamed onto the large screens. It looks like a studio recording. The crowd don’t seem to give two pigeons about this, and we can’t blame them – it’s timeless only in the sense that it could’ve been picked up with a magnet from a number of eras. Dull stuff, sadly.

Portico Quartet
‘Cittagazze’, as we already told you, is way way way far from the token jazz entry that pigeonholing’d have you think. It’s focused to the point of OCD, and in spite of being relocated as far as possible from their home on the South Bank, Portico Quartet go down a real treat. We’ll be keeping our eyes open for the latest from this lot.

Burial
As if it was ever going to be conveyed any other way, any anticipation is silenced by a ‘Ghost Hardware’ video clip. Is it really that special, we wonder… one thing is for sure: it sounds a lot like the late 90s’ mainstream garage/dubstep crossover. And it’s creeping and seeping and all that, but just not special enough.

Estelle
With a post-red carpet outfit change, ‘Pretty Please’ shows off the way that Shine mixes Estelle’s distinctive voice with a truly polished glitz. Robert Plant nods along (we haven’t got a one-track eye), and this US-tinged modern soul is far from just the mainstream option. She’s dynamic and eye-catching live, to boot.

Laura Marling
We’ve already talked ourselves out of financial gain from the £10 we gave to the bookies, and this does and doesn’t help in equal part. It’s half-Carole King, understated ditty, and half-nervous, anachronistic teenager. ‘Night Terror’ perpetuates the confusion over whether Marling is nervous, happy, delicate, or otherwise.

Radiohead
A studio version of ‘Nude’ is played out, and Muso’s Guide has an epiphany as to Radiohead’s continued success: it’s because they siphon out the mediocrity from your favourite bands. The soaring woos in the finale are ever dramatic even from behind a screen, and they’re constantly pushing forward.

Adele
An acoustic version of ‘Crazy For You’ is played out, and the Londoner is wearing glittery eye make-up similarly to what we’ve decked ourselves out in. This track is spine-tingling in a way that 19 never even gets close to conveying. She’s effortless, but ever-quickly approaches overwrought as the song continues.

Elbow
‘The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver’ is the pinnacle of Elbow’s 17-year career, and Guy Garvey is built for GQ covers. A hearty, masculine performance with stirring vocals makes this a true finale of a performance – the song’s lull lures you into a sense of calm only to soar over and over into a hugely uplifting crescendo. Sublime.

To say ‘that was that’ again would be blasé; the performances are mostly phenomenal tonight, and the patterned carpet et al act as the perfect foils. The nominees are a fantastically broad representation of the UK music scene, and they all get their idiosyncrasies across live in spite of the corporate feel of the bash.