James Blake has been named as the recipient of the 2013 Mercury Prize for his album ‘Overgrown‘, representing a slightly unexpected result from the judges.
The winner was announced at a London ceremony this evening (October 30th) after live performances from the majority of the nominated acts. David Bowie was one notable absentee, though a video for an extended version of his track ‘Love Is Lost‘, which forms a part of ‘The Next Day‘ re-release, did get a first airing.
Foals and Arctic Monkeys had been among the early favourites for this year’s award, while electronic duo Disclosure saw their odds shorten consistently following the nominees’ confirmation last month. The past few weeks had also witnessed Laura Mvula‘s LP ‘Sing To The Moon‘ receive plenty of backing to be the bookies’ tip going into tonight’s bash.
Last year, Alt-J‘s debut ‘An Awesome Wave‘ took home the winners cheque in one of the least surprising results in the prize’s history.