The 2025 Mercury Prize confirmed today the lineup of artists set to perform at this year’s Awards Show. Taking the stage at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Thursday, October 16th will be Emma-Jean Thackray, FKA twigs, Jacob Alon, Joe Webb, Martin Carthy, Pa Salieu, Pulp, Sam Fender, and Wolf Alice. Each act will present a single track from their shortlisted album. A special film of live performances will also highlight the other shortlisted records, celebrating this year’s ‘Albums of the Year.’
The 2025 Mercury Prize 12 ‘Albums of the Year’ Awards Show will be presented by Lauren Laverne.
BBC Music, the Prize’s broadcast partner, will provide full coverage on Thursday, October 16th. BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds will host live programming from Newcastle between 9pm and midnight with Deb Grant and Nathan Shepherd revealing the winner in real time. Matt Everitt will report from backstage, bringing all the excitement directly to listeners. BBC Four and BBC iPlayer will air the Awards Show beginning at 9.30pm.
The final schedule for the Mercury Prize Newcastle Fringe has also been released today. Running from Thursday, October 9th through Wednesday, October 15th, the Fringe is powered by Generator, the North’s leading music development agency. This region-wide celebration promises to showcase the North East’s thriving music community and transform its venues with bold new energy.
English Teacher, the 2024 Mercury Prize winner, will also take part in the Fringe. Lead singer Lily Fontaine is joining Art of the Album Day on October 15th at Newcastle’s historic Common Room. She will appear as a guest on the first live edition of the Record Club podcast with Bowers & Wilkins in association with PPL and PRS Foundation, hosted by BBC’s Jess Izatt.
This marks the very first time the Mercury Prize has stepped outside of London. The move to Newcastle, created in partnership with Newcastle City Council and The North East Combined Authority, represents an exciting new chapter for the Prize as it aligns with one of the most dynamic music cities in the UK.
The city is already alive with anticipation. From local artist Charlotte Brecken reimagining shortlisted album covers on train tickets to a “Mini Mercury” choir of 70 children aged eight to twelve and a full week of events beginning on October 9th, Newcastle is preparing to welcome the Prize with open arms.
Councillor Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council, shared her excitement: “The Mercury Prize Award Show and Fringe programme is now fast approaching and it is an incredibly exciting moment for Newcastle and the wider region. We are looking forward to the national and international spotlight focusing on our fantastic city, highlighting our talented musicians, growing music scene and iconic venues.
“With the help of Generator, we will not only host a major event but also create opportunities for people of all ages and leave behind a lasting legacy that strengthens Newcastle’s place in the music world. These events prove to young creatives that they do not need to move to London to succeed. They can build their careers right here on Tyneside. The atmosphere will be incredible and the economic benefits will be enormous. Visitors will enjoy a warm welcome and unforgettable experience.”
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness added: “Bringing the Mercury Prize to Newcastle is about inspiring the next generation of talent in our region. I am delighted that so many incredible artists are coming here for the Prize. They are role models to our young musicians.
“We have seen Sam Fender rise from our own community and I want him to be just one of many stars to come from the North East. That is why we are inviting thousands of young people to experience an amazing week of fringe events across the region. Perhaps one of them will be a future Mercury Prize nominee.
“This is part of our mission to help people dream big and build real careers in creative industries, whether that is music or beyond.”
Partners are also rolling out activities in connection with the event. LNER, the Official Travel Partner, is providing a special named train service to carry VIPs, judges and guests to the Awards Show on October 16th. The journey will be capped by a unique musical welcome as they arrive in Newcastle.
Fenwick, the city’s flagship department store, will unveil window displays showcasing the twelve ‘Albums of the Year’ on Monday, October 13th. The store will host two Fringe events, including a food and music celebration in the food hall on October 15th and a Mercury Prize Fanzone on October 16th in its newly opened Golden Flake Tavern, created with Greggs. The Fanzone will feature live sets programmed by Generator. Both events require booking, with tickets available now at fenwick.co.uk.
The Mercury Prize Fringe, running October 9th through 16th and powered by Generator, will fill the North East with music, workshops, industry panels, and community programming. Covering all seven local authority areas, the Fringe will connect schools, emerging artists, cultural groups, and fans. Highlights include appearances by Radio 1’s Maia Beth, who will serve as this year’s official Mercury Prize social host, and Sam Spencer, EVP at Atlantic Records, along with advice sessions and masterclasses led by Mercury-shortlisted artists and industry leaders including YouTube Music and Universal Music Group. More details can be found at generator.org.uk/mercuryfringe.
The Mercury Prize shines a light on the finest new music from Britain and Ireland, celebrating creative achievement across diverse contemporary genres. As an independent award, it honors the album format, offering a snapshot of the year in music while providing a major platform for rising artists. For many, it has marked a pivotal step toward wider recognition in the UK and internationally.
Each year’s shortlist is chosen by a panel of independent judges made up of passionate industry professionals. The 2025 panel includes Danielle Perry, broadcaster and writer; Jamie Cullum, musician and Radio 2 host; Jamz Supernova, DJ and 6 Music broadcaster; Jeff Smith, Head of Music at Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music; Lea Stonhill, music programming consultant; Mistajam, songwriter, DJ and broadcaster; Phil Alexander, creative director at Kerrang! and contributing editor at Mojo; Sian Eleri, Radio 1 broadcaster and DJ; Will Hodgkinson, chief rock and pop critic at The Times; and Sophie Williams, music writer and broadcaster. The panel will be chaired by Jeff Smith.
Just days after landing her fourth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Drop Dead,” Olivia Rodrigo is now getting major recognition from Niall Horan.
In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone published April 30, the former One Direction member shared insight into how he approaches songwriting, highlighting the comeback of bridges in pop and pointing to Rodrigo as a key influence behind it.
“It’s great to hear [bridges]. I feel like Olivia Rodrigo has been a big influence on that for pop writers,” the Irish artist said, before singing part of the “Drivers License” bridge. “What I like about Olivia’s music is [that] you feel like you’re getting one song and then you get a completely different song. It completely flips on its head musically, goes somewhere different, brings you to a bridge, brings you to some weird musical breakdown thing. Whatever [she] and Dan Nigro are up to is a good little team they’ve got going there. It’s definitely influencing people, including myself.”
Horan also spoke at length about his upcoming project Dinner Party, set to arrive June 5 through Capitol Records. He has already released two tracks from the record, including the title cut and “Little More Time,” both produced alongside Afterhrs, John Ryan and Julian Bunetta. The album rollout will be paired with an extensive 22-date tour across Europe, Ireland and the U.K. The Irish singer’s new release follows 2023’s The Show, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. During the interview, Horan also mentioned that his next era leans more into rock elements, something he connects back to his long-standing love for bands like Blink-182.
“That drum sound is something that we were trying to chase, and that comes from that late-’90s, early-2000s punk-rock era,” he said. “Rock’s been a big influence in my life since I was a child. I write pop songs, but dressing them up in a different way sometimes is quite cool. And now, the way my career is going, I’m completely thinking about live shows all the time. I learned so much from being on the road and being out there every night. There’s only so much sitting on Spotify you can do and reading comments before you actually get an idea of what people actually think. You can see it in the room. The rockier stuff really goes off at the shows.”
The “Slow Hands” hitmaker also has two U.S. stadium dates lined up for this year. Joining longtime friend and Grammy-nominated country artist Thomas Rhett, Horan is set to perform at GEODIS Park in Nashville on July 9 and Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania on July 19, with Live Nation handling promotion for both shows. Kashus Culpepper and Emily Ann Roberts will open the concerts. With such a packed touring schedule, all four remaining members of One Direction are expected to be on the road with new music this year. When asked about attending his former bandmates’ shows, Horan gave praise to Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
“I went to Harry’s show a couple of years ago, and that was just wild. Madness going on there,” he said. “It reminded me of the 1D stadium shows where it was just seas of people jumping up and down. Watching the things going on on the floor, all the fans dancing around, I love that. You feel a sense of pride watching the boys doing what they love to do, and the communities that they’re able to create. I’m going to try and get to a Louis show of some capacity in the next few weeks.”
Horan is now the fourth One Direction member to drop a new album this year. Tomlinson released How Did I Get Here? in January, Styles hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally in March, and ZAYN followed with Konnakol earlier this month on April 17.
