FEATURE: Lessons Learned: Why English Teacher Winning the Mercury Prize Is So Significant

FEATURE:

 

 

Lessons Learned

IN THIS PHOTO: English Teacher/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Ford for NME

 

Why English Teacher Winning the Mercury Prize Is So Significant

_________

EARLIER this week…

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Leeds-based band English Teacher won the Mercury Prize. It was a bit of a pleasant surprise. With heavy-hitting artists like Charli XCX nominated alongside them, maybe it was a slightly shock that they won. Although not underserved! There were a few reasons why their win was important and a relief. The Prize, to many, symbolises acknowledging a band or artist that is more underground. Not the mainstream artists. Of course, it is judged on quality, though we do want to see the more underdog artists recognised. It was a tough field this year. Alongside English Teacher, everyone from CMAT to Beth Gibbons was shortlisted. So many people have reacted positively to English Teacher winning the Mercury Prize. It is a relief that the award has gone out of London for the first time in nearly a decade! Before then, artists have either been based in London or originated there. Winning for This Could Be Texas, it spotlights music outside of the capital. The fact that artists from the North are worthy. It will help open up more conversation. Looking beyond London for music excellence. Becoming rather predictable and limited, awarding the Mercury Prize to a band away from London is an important step. Although I did think that The Last Dinner Party would triumph, I am glad that English Teacher got the award. As The Guardian wrote, it shows how crucial arts funding is. At a time when there is concern around the level of expenditure and commitment to arts and music education at schools, English Teacher show how vital it is to maintain arts funding for the future generations:

“Earlier, this year, English Teacher told the Guardian that despite being signed to a major label, Island, enjoying radio and TV exposure and being able to play 800-capacity shows in their home town, both Fontaine and bandmate Lewis Whiting recorded their album while living at home, sofa-surfing and relying on universal credit to top up the band’s £500 a month from the record company advance. The Mercury comes with a £25,000 cheque although the band haven’t decided what to do with it. Fontaine insists: “It will be invested, not frittered away.” 

IN THIS PHOTO: Charli XCX, for her album, BRAT, was among the dozen artists shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize

The band’s triumph comes as the Mercury prize faces questions about its future. It no longer has a sponsor and this year’s live ceremony was considerably scaled back. However, English Teacher point out that unlike many awards ceremonies, which reflect commercial success, the Mercury recognises art, originality and innovation, so remains relevant. “So many of our favourite bands won the Mercury or were nominated for the shortlist,” said Whiting. “Arctic Monkeys. Pulp. Radiohead. Portishead. There’s kudos and recognition, but it’s about the artist, not their sales.”

And since they were shortlisted, said Fontaine, “we’ve been able to play bigger gigs for higher fees. So we’re hoping to be able to put up our personal income.”

Whiting said he had already noticed a surge in their streaming figures: “I looked this morning and there were 3,000 people listening to one track.”

English Teacher’s win is the first for an alt-rock band since Wolf Alice in 2018 and, incredibly, the first for a non-London act since Edinburgh hip-hop trio Young Fathers in 2014. “Which is ridiculous,” said Fontaine, “considering the quality of music coming from other places. Maybe it [reveals] what the industry puts the spotlight on, because there’e certainly no lack of talent.”

English Teacher: The World’s Biggest Paving Slab – video

English Teacher are one of three Leeds-based nominees on this year’s list alongside Bailey Rae and jungle producer Nia Archives. Fontaine acknowledged that without the support of the city’s launchpad venues such the Hyde Park Book Club and Brudenell Social Club, “we’d definitely not be here”.

Whiting and Fontaine both grew up in small Lancashire towns. The win completes the singer’s remarkable journey from “doing open mics in Colne when I was 14, performing in pubs and clubs after leaving school and working in a Chinese takeaway,” she said.

English Teacher formed at Leeds Conservatoire – formerly Leeds College of Music – and played their first gig in 2020. Along the way, the band have been supported by talent development organisation Music:Leeds, whose Launchpad programme distributed the first two self-released English Teacher singles including the first version of The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, a song they rerecorded for the winning album, which Fontaine first wrote in her bedroom six years ago. Music:Leeds and PRS Foundation’s PPL Momentum Accelerator fund also provided funding for the band to record the first version of R&B, a song also rerecorded for their debut”.

Another observation we can take from English Teacher winning the Mercury Prize is how original and genre-fusing guitar music is still crucial and alive. At a time when genres like Pop are dominating and taking more focus, there is always that argument as to whether guitar music is relevant and sustainable. Of course it is, though in a mainstream where you do not hear it as much as you used to, English Teacher have given hope and light to bands like them coming through. This is not solely about the Mercury Prize. It is symbolic of wider conversations. Smaller and innovative artists triumphing. The richness and diversity of music from outside of London. How English Teacher’s story and path shows why we need to ensure that we can see artists like them come through and get support. On thew subject of guitar music, The Telegraph wrote why guitar bands can be ferociously original:

“Caught in a crisis over sponsorship and how to stay relevant in the streaming age, the Mercury Prize could have taken the easy route tonight and handed the award for Album of the Year to Charli xcx.

Brat, her viral, meme-inducing, Kamala Harris-condoned album of hyper-pop and electro bangers, took over the world with its hedonistic ethos; “Brat summer” became a byword for buying another pack of cigarettes, staying out late and stumbling into work the morning after still reeking of vodka.

But the Mercury’s have never opted to reward popularity – so it’s no surprise that its judges shunned the shortlist’s more commercial offerings in favour of This Could Be Texas, the truly remarkable debut by Leeds indie band English Teacher.

It’s a ferociously original album: witty, silly and never reliant on cheap, catchy choruses to catch your attention. Reviewing the album back in April, I praised the band for their unbridled ambition, for being courageous enough to take risks.

In a music industry so often plagued by nostalgia – did you know Oasis were back together? – English Teacher are a breath of fresh air. 

Much of their allure is down to frontwoman Lily Fontaine, a bundle of charisma who spent the weeks leading up to their album release campaigning for Parliament to support grassroots music venues. The band met at university in Leeds – with Fontaine joined by guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost and bassist Nicholas Eden – and were able to do their early gigs by staying on friends’ floors.

It’s hard to overstate how encouraging it is for a working-class band like theirs – singing about real-world issues, from racial stereotyping on standout track R&B to environmental disaster and being trapped in your hometown on Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space – to be rewarded with a prize as prestigious as a Mercury. Perhaps guitar music isn’t dead after all?

They join an esteemed list of working-class talent who have won the prize in the past: Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Little Simz. The past few years have seen the Mercury’s veer from its indie rock and folk roots to more rap or grime-orientated spaces, but English Teacher’s win doesn’t mean that shift has completely gone out of the window; much of the band’s charm lies in their fusion of different genres”.

That article makes a good point about nostalgia. How we are paying so much attention to legacy acts and revisiting the past. The originality and freshness that English Teacher provide should open our minds to the importance of new music. A lot of musical ambition stems from social media and looking at modern-day Pop icons. Perhaps a less traditional road in. Rather than it being about plugging away at venues and grassroots spaces, it is about getting there quickly. Less about talent and graft than it is something more quick and shallow. English Teacher have proved that a band can come from nowhere and, though original music and hard work, be acknowledged at the highest level! I will end with words from the band. In a BBC article, the band recognised how their victory at the Mercury Prize is so unexpected. Where they are from, things like this do not really happen:

“Made up of Lily Fontaine (vocals, rhythm guitar, synth), Douglas Frost (drums), Nicholas Eden (bass) and Lewis Whiting (lead guitar, synth), English Teacher have become the first band in a decade who were not from London to win the Mercury Prize.

Mr Clark said that was something he hoped would be "inspirational" for other young musicians from towns and cities everywhere.

"It’s not just important for Leeds, it's also inspirational for artists that, essentially through hard work, can show there is a pathway and that there are platforms to achieve success and recognition for the work they put in.

"It's a signal that people can achieve from wherever. They don't have to be from London."

Mr Clark added: "It's great to champion our local scene. I would say, let’s champion all the people from Leeds this can inspire."

Ilkley's Cow and Calf rocks feature on the album's cover

English Teacher were actually one of three acts from West Yorkshire on the Mercury Prize shortlist this year, alongside jungle artist Nia Archives and singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae.

As well as thanking The Brudenell and Hyde Park Book Club venues, the band's members also name-checked a local landmark, the Cow and Calf rocks in Ilkley, which appeared on their album cover which was created by singer Lily's mother.

Speaking to the BBC's Colin Pattinson after their Mercury win, Lily said: "Where we come from, it just doesn't happen. You don't start a band thinking this is going to happen.

"So, it is a dream realised. I think that's why it means a lot.

"Me and Lewis particularly are from the north of England, towns you wouldn't associate music scenes with them."

Lily is from Colne while Lewis is from Kirkham, both in Lancashire.

"No-one has probably heard of them and now they will do, and that's kind of cool," Lily said”.

I am going to end with a feature/interview from NME. It is amazing and a big deal that English Teacher won the Mercury Prize. If some question the role of the award and what purpose it has now – and what they look for in a winner -, one cannot deny it means a lot to artists. Think of all the artists who have come before and won. It is prestigious and a huge recognition from the industry. You can feel a slight shift and revitalisation from this year’s winners. This Could Be Texas will see its sales rise. Other artists picking up the album and being inspired by it:

“As well as sharing their critically acclaimed debut album, English Teacher have also become one of the acts leading the way when it comes to spotlighting the struggles facing new artists and using their platform to help protect the future of live music in the UK.

Having already spoken out in Parliament about the difficulties that new talent face when trying to establish themselves, Lily Fontaine said that English Teacher want to continue to try and make a difference going forward.

“It was never a conscious [choice] to be like ‘We’re going to be one of those bands that does that’,” she explained. “It’s just that when we get asked questions about those things, we’re always going to be honest. If we continue to be put in situations where we’re asked about that, we will continue to be honest about it.”

Announcing as this year’s winners, 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova described the album as one that stood out to the judges “for its originality and character, a winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation, alongside a subtle way of wearing its musical innovations lightly, displays a fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format.”

During the band’s acceptance speech, Whiting thanked “everyone in Leeds,” while the members all made mention to their friends and family. ”My mum did the artwork [for the album] so I want to give a special thanks to her,” added Fontaine, who also made a nod to the music scene in their home city, including live venue Brudenell Social Club.

In a five-star review of the album, NME concluded: “What you have in ‘This Could Be Texas’ is everything you want from a debut; a truly original effort from start to finish, an adventure in sound and words, and a landmark statement.

“Poised for big things? Who knows if this industry even allows that anymore. Here are a band already dealing in brilliance, though – who dare to dream and have it pay off. Not everyone gets to go to space, but at least English Teacher make it a damn site more interesting being stuck down here”.

Beyond the Mercury Prize itself, there are lessons and takeaways. The role of funding and local venues. How important it is to recognise innovative and new bands coming through. How this suycecss story should be an impetus and warning. Artists who can follow suit. An industry and government who need to realise how essential venues are. Financially supporting the arts. Things can and will change going forward. If English Teacher’s This Could Be Texas seemed an unexpected win or a wonderful shock, their win and story will not be…

LONE star state.

Sam Liddicott