London trio the xx beat the likes of Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons and Foals to secure the Mercury Music Prize yesterday, with their self-produced debut album, ‘xx’, voted as the best of the last year by the judging panel. The album was released last year to widespread critical acclaim, receiving plaudits for their novel blend of electronica, dubstep and traditional melancholic pop.
The Mercury is widely recognised as one of the most sought after prize in the British music industry, having propelled former winners such as Dizzee Rascal, also nominated this year, to subsequent chart success. The band – who formed at Elliott School in Putney, south west London, which boasts other notable musical alumni in Hot Chip and Four Tet – claimed that they were planning to spend the £20,000 prize money on building a new recording studio.
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