The Prodigy
The Prodigy have hit out at the Mercury Music Prize, saying it is dominated by industry execs.
Speaking at this year’s Kerrang Awards, songwriter and keyboard player Liam Howlett said: “It’s got nothing to do with the public. It’s to do with a panel of people that always opt for the most obscure thing. He also said he believes the panel overlook dance music, saying it should be included “because that’s the type of music that stirs up the emotion. It’s what kids listen to.”
The prize has been dominated in recent years by traditional British guitar bands, although Dizzee Rascal did win the prize in 2003 for his album ‘Boy In Da Corner’. Perhaps the most puzzling decision in the prize’s history saw The Prodigy miss out, when their 1994 album ‘Music For The Jilted Generation‘ was beaten by M People’s ‘Elegant Slumming’.
Frontman Keith Flint also revealed he has been considering a return to the band’s headline-grabbing past: “There’s a few things that I’m thinking of that I could try and get controversial with, but I’m not going to give that the time,” he said. “I think what’s more important to The Prodigy is that, whatever number your album goes in at, or the single, or however many plays it gets, or doesn’t get, or awards you get, or don’t get, our reward, as a band, is to write the best album we can and then go to Download and rip it to pieces.”
The winner of the Mercury Music Prize, which was won by Elbow’s ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ last year, will be announced at a ceremony on 8th September.