Bryan
05-09-2007, 11:02
Amy Winehouse was the focus of attention at the Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony - but in the end, "new rave" group Klaxons stole her limelight by scooping the prestigious album award.
The audience fell silent for Amy Winehouse's performance
The main questions on everyone's lips as the ceremony began were - is she here, and will she perform?
Something peculiar has happened to Amy Winehouse, and I'm not talking about the drugs.
Over the past few months, she has become such a worshipped and tortured enigma that her appearances now seem like visitations from some sort of mythical figure.
That was how it felt at the Mercury on Tuesday.
There were rumours that she was in the building, yet the letters VT were listed next to her name on the running order - in other words, her performance would be on video tape.
Nobody was sure whether she would actually sing in person until host Jools Holland announced her name and she stepped up to the stage.
Like her fellow nominees, she performed just one song. The room was silent as she sang, backed by one man with an acoustic guitar.
And it was a stunning performance. Sensational. Spine-tingling. The stuff legends really are made of.
Sucker punch
Her searing jazz voice and sparse arrangement turned her choice of song, Love is a Losing Game, into an emotional sucker punch.
She made her way through the song with no problems, but looked lost as she stood on stage when she had finished.
After being prompted by Jools, she walked over to him, kissed him on the cheek and collected the trophy that all the nominated acts received.
She mumbled a couple of words into the microphone - probably "thank you" - and then shrugged to signal that she did not know what else to say.
Klaxons indulged in an ecstatic hug when they won
On climbing down from the stage, she moved to her table, embraced her father Mitch and sat down between him and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
The couple then indulged in a public display of affection and spent most of the rest of the night with their arms draped around each other.
But as well-received as she was, her performance was not enough to convince the judges that her album was the best of the last 12 months.
When Jools announced the name of Klaxons, she applauded politely while, on the other side of the room, the four band members jumped up and embraced in ecstasy.
Some bands like to play it cool when it comes to awards, but not Klaxons - they want their album to be heard and liked by as many people as possible, and they revel in the acclaim.
The quartet, who look like a cross between extras from Mad Max and backing singers from Top of the Pops circa 1983, stand out for being a rock group who are not ashamed to play pop music.
Klaxons were in high spirits after the award was handed over
In that way, they are a throwback to the 1980s - they have a highly individual, flamboyant style, credible musicianship and a desire to make music for the masses.
Backstage, facing the post-match press conference, singer and keyboardist James Righton, wearing a gold lame shirt, stumbled in front of the microphones, raised both arms and let out a "woo!"
His bandmate Jamie Reynolds said: "We just won the Mercury 2007 and we couldn't be any happier.
"We think it's about the fact that they respect forward-thinking music and we think we made the most forward-thinking record. Everybody else recognised it."
It was quite a shame that every question we got asked today was about whether Amy Winehouse was going to win
James Righton
Klaxons
James slurred: "I think we should say as soon as we won, we all needed to just hug each other. It was quite emotional."
Were they surprised to have beaten Amy? "No," came the immediate response from Jamie.
"I thought that she gave a fantastic performance and I absolutely love her record.
"But her record is a retro record and we've made the most forward-thinking record in I don't know how long.
"I think that's what the Mercury is about, and not about a retro record, so I think we deservedly beat Amy Winehouse."
James added: "It was quite a shame that every question we got asked today was about whether Amy Winehouse was going to win the award.
"It took the focus away from the fact that the Mercury Music Prize is about music."
The audience fell silent for Amy Winehouse's performance
The main questions on everyone's lips as the ceremony began were - is she here, and will she perform?
Something peculiar has happened to Amy Winehouse, and I'm not talking about the drugs.
Over the past few months, she has become such a worshipped and tortured enigma that her appearances now seem like visitations from some sort of mythical figure.
That was how it felt at the Mercury on Tuesday.
There were rumours that she was in the building, yet the letters VT were listed next to her name on the running order - in other words, her performance would be on video tape.
Nobody was sure whether she would actually sing in person until host Jools Holland announced her name and she stepped up to the stage.
Like her fellow nominees, she performed just one song. The room was silent as she sang, backed by one man with an acoustic guitar.
And it was a stunning performance. Sensational. Spine-tingling. The stuff legends really are made of.
Sucker punch
Her searing jazz voice and sparse arrangement turned her choice of song, Love is a Losing Game, into an emotional sucker punch.
She made her way through the song with no problems, but looked lost as she stood on stage when she had finished.
After being prompted by Jools, she walked over to him, kissed him on the cheek and collected the trophy that all the nominated acts received.
She mumbled a couple of words into the microphone - probably "thank you" - and then shrugged to signal that she did not know what else to say.
Klaxons indulged in an ecstatic hug when they won
On climbing down from the stage, she moved to her table, embraced her father Mitch and sat down between him and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
The couple then indulged in a public display of affection and spent most of the rest of the night with their arms draped around each other.
But as well-received as she was, her performance was not enough to convince the judges that her album was the best of the last 12 months.
When Jools announced the name of Klaxons, she applauded politely while, on the other side of the room, the four band members jumped up and embraced in ecstasy.
Some bands like to play it cool when it comes to awards, but not Klaxons - they want their album to be heard and liked by as many people as possible, and they revel in the acclaim.
The quartet, who look like a cross between extras from Mad Max and backing singers from Top of the Pops circa 1983, stand out for being a rock group who are not ashamed to play pop music.
Klaxons were in high spirits after the award was handed over
In that way, they are a throwback to the 1980s - they have a highly individual, flamboyant style, credible musicianship and a desire to make music for the masses.
Backstage, facing the post-match press conference, singer and keyboardist James Righton, wearing a gold lame shirt, stumbled in front of the microphones, raised both arms and let out a "woo!"
His bandmate Jamie Reynolds said: "We just won the Mercury 2007 and we couldn't be any happier.
"We think it's about the fact that they respect forward-thinking music and we think we made the most forward-thinking record. Everybody else recognised it."
It was quite a shame that every question we got asked today was about whether Amy Winehouse was going to win
James Righton
Klaxons
James slurred: "I think we should say as soon as we won, we all needed to just hug each other. It was quite emotional."
Were they surprised to have beaten Amy? "No," came the immediate response from Jamie.
"I thought that she gave a fantastic performance and I absolutely love her record.
"But her record is a retro record and we've made the most forward-thinking record in I don't know how long.
"I think that's what the Mercury is about, and not about a retro record, so I think we deservedly beat Amy Winehouse."
James added: "It was quite a shame that every question we got asked today was about whether Amy Winehouse was going to win the award.
"It took the focus away from the fact that the Mercury Music Prize is about music."