Wednesday, 10 September 2008

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Elbow album wins Mercury Prize

The Seldom Seen Kid impresses judges

Guy Garvey started Elbow in 1990

Elbow scooped the coveted Nationwide Mercury Prize at London's Grosvenor House Hotel last night – and £20,000.

The Manchester rock group’s latest record The Seldom Seen Kid was named the best British album of the past year.

Elbow beat 11 other acts, including Radiohead, Estelle, The Last Shadow Puppets, Adele and Burial.

‘I know we’re supposed to be cool but this is quite literally the best thing that's ever happened to us,’ said frontman Guy Garvey, 34.

And the judges couldn’t stop raving about the album.

‘It's incredibly emotional, but it's not self indulgent at all,' said NME judge Conor McNicholas.

‘And Guy Garvey's a hero. He's the drunken poet at the end of the bar, who just has this aura of cool, and they've had it for years.’

Elbow were also nominated for the prize in 2001 for Asleep In The Back.