The 2020 instalment of the Hyundai Mercury Prize saw performances from both Sports Team and Charli XCX and victory for Michael Kiwanuka. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this year’s iteration of the esteemed awards show was a virtual one.
The show took place tonight (September 24th), with expansive coverage of the virtual ceremony delivered via BBC 4. Sports Team and Charli XCX, nominees for the prestigious Album Of The Year award, both delivered vibrant, compelling performances.
The winner of the 2020 Mercury Prize is multi-instrumentalist Michael Kiwanuka for his soulful, sultry album of the same name. To kick-start the new series of his long-standing show, Jools Holland also hosted an intimate conversation with the prize winner Kiwanuka on a special edition of Later…With Jools Holland.
Other artists nominated for Album of The Year were likes of singer-songwriter Georgia, rock band Lanterns on the Lake, and composers Anna Meredith and Moses Boyd. The complete list of nominated acts for the Mercury Prize can be found here.
Sports Team’s offering for the virtual ceremony was a vigorous, high-energy rendition of Here’s The Thing. The catchy, satirical track Here’s The Thing comes from Deep Down Happy, Sports Team’s long-awaited, debut album that astounded fans and critics alike following its arrival in April of this year.
Meanwhile, Charli XCX delivered a stunning performance of her moving track, Visions, live from her home in Los Angeles.
Sports Team took to social media today to share their blinding performance of Here’s The Thing. Posting a clip of frontman Alex Rice singing his heart out to Instagram, Sports Team playfully wrote that there is a “6/1 chance of Alex disgracing himself on the One show tonight.” Receiving over 7,000 likes, the post was a big hit amongst Sports Team fans.
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6/1 chance of Alex disgracing himself on the One show tonight. Full @mercuryprize performance on YouTube now A post shared by Sports Team (@sportsteam) on
Charli XCX also took to Instagram to spread the news of her exciting performance. Fans were clearly ecstatic at this news, awarding the post a whopping 89,000 likes.
In celebration of Michael Kiwanuka’s phenomenal win, radio DJ Tom Ravenscroft played KIWANUKA in full on BBC Radio 6 Music from 8pm on September 24th.
Michael Kiwanuka has also confirmed that he will hit the road in 2021, embarking on an extensive UK and European tour. Tickets for the tour can be found here, and dates for the UK iteration of the tour can be found below:
26/03/2021 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
27/03 – Bonus Arena – Hull
29/03 – O2 Apollo – Manchester
30/03 – Empress Ballroom – Blackpool
01/04 – Demontford Hall – Leicester
02/04 – Pavilions – Plymouth
03/04 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
05/04 – O2 Academy – Leeds
06/04 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
09/08 – Summer Sessions – Edinburgh
15/09 – O2 Academy – Newcastle
16/09 – Corn Exchange – Cambridge
17/09 – Alexandra Palace – London
