News

Watch Barclaycard Mercury Prize Tonight!

• 11th Sep 2009

BBC Two will be broadcasting a Barclaycard Mercury Prize special tonight, 11 September at 11.40pm. The 70-minute programme will be presented by Lauren Laverne and Jools Holland. It will feature the entire 2009 Awards Show, including all the live performances, as well as the announcement of Speech Debelle as the overall winner of the 2009 Prize.

Speech Debelle performed her track 'The Key' at the Awards Show with her band The Therapists and special guests acclaimed UK jazz musicians Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchins.

Of her win Speech said 'This means a lot to me because the Prize is solely about the music on the album. This proves that if you believe in something and you think you can do it, then you can achieve it.'

Simon Frith, Chair of Judges, said 'Speech Therapy is a remarkable debut album, a fresh, complete and endlessly surprising musical world, tough and reflective, truthful and enthralling.'

The BBC Two programme will feature live performances from Kasabian, Florence + the Machine, Friendly Fires, La Roux, Bat for Lashes, Led Bib, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, The Invisible, Lisa Hannigan, The Horrors and Speech Debelle.