Wandsworth musicians on shortlist for Mercury Music Prize (From Streatham Guardian)

Wandsworth musicians on shortlist for Mercury Music Prize

7:00am Monday 17th September 2012 in News By Alexandra Rucki

A number of musicians with roots in Wandsworth have been nominated for the coveted Mercury Music Prize.

Indie five-piece The Maccabees and singer songwriter Jessie Ware were announced as firm favourites to scoop the prize this week.

The Maccabees, who formed while they were studying at Elliott School, Putney, have been nominated for their third album Given to the Wild.

If they are selected it will be the second time a group from Elliott School have nabbed the award, with indie trio The xx winning in 2010.

It has lead to the establishment being labelled the School of Rock, with Hot Chip, So Solid Crew and Fleetwood Mac also on the list of alumni.

Members Orlando Weeks, Hugo White, Felix White, Rupert Jarvis and Sam Doyle have recently been on tour supporting Florence and the Machine, who was favourite to win in 2010.

Jessie Ware, who grew up in Clapham, is also a favourite to win the prize.

She has been nominated for her début album Devotion, which is being penned as a fusion of soul and underground dance music.

The singer is said to have learned her craft amongst a community of musicians, DJs and producers based in South London.

She first shot to fame when singing on tracks by producers SBTRKT and has recently returned from performing at music festival Bestival.

The Mercury website said: "The Maccabees highly poetic and emotionally charged Indie has found its sharpest form on third album Given To The Wild.

"Jessie Ware’s Devotion is equally adventurous, opening up a brave new chapter for the UK’s enduring love of sophisticated Soul and underground Dance music."

Close neighbour Lianne La Havas, of Streatham, is also in the pipeline to win for her album Is Your Love Big Enough?

The Mercury Prize is viewed as an alternative to the Brit Awards, with musicians nominated for ground-breaking albums released that year.

Winners are given a £20,000 prize and usually receive a welcome boost in record sales after the short-list is revealed.