Through floods of tears, visibly shaking and backed by the deafening audience roar of “Toon, Toon”, Newcastle’s homegrown hero Sam Fender won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his third album, People Watching.
It topped the charts, at a time when critics loudly declared rock music was dead in Britain. He headlined stadiums this past summer, bringing his big, Springsteen-esque anthems to crowds of tens of thousands across the country. But neither of those accomplishments mask the fact Fender shouldn’t have won tonight – not for this album, anyway.
I have been a huge fan of his for years now, watching him grow from playing tiny venues to effortlessly headlining ginormous stadiums. I gave his gig at London’s O2 arena in December five stars, and listen to his music regularly when I need a dose of realism; of good, old-fashioned, heartfelt British rock ‘n’ roll. It only seems like a matter of time until he takes his rightful place atop Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage as a headliner.
Yet his triumph at this year’s Mercury Prize seems lessened by the fact People Watching is far from his finest album – if anything, he should have won in 2022 with Seventeen Going Under; too bad Little Simz was busy being her usual genius self.
This year’s ceremony was held in Newcastle, the first time in three decades that it has operated outside of London. The North East city just so happens to be Fender’s hometown. Even that made the win seem slightly too convenient, like he’d been rewarded for being revered amongst locals rather than for this particular body of work, which failed to reach earlier heights (such as on Seventeen Going Under’s title track, the anthemic Hypersonic Missiles, or the quietly devastating Spit of You.
Personally, I’d have loved two artists from the Emerald Isle to triumph: CMAT or Fontaines D.C. CMAT’s Euro-Country was a truly exceptional record – complex yet accessible, funny yet heart-wrenching. Her win would’ve been the perfect end to a perfect year for a star on the rise. Then we have Dubliners Fontaines, whose album Romance spawned some of the finest festival anthems of the decade in Starburster and Favourite.
During the Mercury’s live show at the Utilita Arena, there was some encouraging love shared for two very old-school folk singers. Rising star Jacob Alon was impossible to look away from with his otherworldly, stripped-back and introspective lyrics, and earned the night’s only spontaneous standing ovation. And then came 84-year-old Martin Carthy, the oldest ever nominee, who reminded everyone of his far-ranging influence – on artists such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon – with a spellbinding performance of Scarborough Fair.
Britpop legends Pulp, meanwhile, opened the ceremony with Spike Island, the lead single from their infectious comeback album More. It was a reminder of Jarvis Cocker’s oh-so-British wit; though of course, they didn’t “need” another win, having already taken home the prize in 1995 for the generation-defending Different Class.
So, a mixed year for Britain’s most prestigious – yet proudly niche – musical prize. A positive of Fender’s win is that the Mercury will gain a wider, more commercial audience who keep it relevant. He’s one of our most deserving homegrown talents, whose raw, empathetic lyrics have won over a whole new generation of music fans. Yet I can’t help wishing, still, that a ginger girl from County Meath had taken home that top prize.
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