<\/p>\n
English Teacher<\/a> have told NME<\/i> about the \u201cconcrete validation\u201d they received with their Mercury Prize<\/a> win and have teased their new music will be \u201cbetter\u201d.<\/p>\n The Leeds band won last year\u2019s prize with their debut album \u2018This Could Be Texas\u2019<\/a> and were on hand at this year\u2019s ceremony last night (October 16) at Newcastle\u2019s Utilita Arena, where Sam Fender<\/a> beat out competition from the likes of Pulp<\/a>, CMAT<\/a>,\u00a0Wolf Alice<\/a>, Fontaines D.C.<\/a> and\u00a0Pa Salieu<\/a>.<\/p>\n English Teacher\u2019s victory last year saw them beat albums such as Charli XCX<\/a>\u2019s \u2018Brat<\/a>\u2019 and The Last Dinner Party<\/a>\u2019s \u2018Prelude To Ecstasy<\/a>\u2019 to take home the prestigious award, and on the red carpet this year, the band brought us up to date on how the win has impacted them in the past 12 months and the current status of their much-anticipated follow-up.<\/p>\n Guitarist Lewis Whiting explained that it was \u201cquite nice knowing there\u2019s no chance we have to go up and say an unprepared speech\u201d this time around.<\/p>\n Reflecting on the win, he said: \u201cI think it restarted the album cycle that we\u2019re on. I felt like we were really busy, but post that, it kind of really continued until about now. Give or take, we\u2019ve been on tour since then, it\u2019s been a mental year. It\u2019s making me reflect a lot on the past 12 months really, it\u2019s been mad.\u201d<\/p>\n