NORTHAMPTON'S OWN SLOWTHAI IS NOMINATED FOR A MERCURY PRIZE
Self-made in Northampton, Slow Thai has fast become an established household name both locally and nationwide. Everyone is keen to share an anecdote about growing up with Tyrone, or about that Garibaldi gig, when he brought Skepta along
With his 99p tours and £5 tour selling out arenas such as the o2 Academy in Birmingham and Brixton, it is no wonder Slow Thai shot straight to the West Holt Stage at Glastonbury this year. Now billed as the main support for Liam Gallagher’s UK dates, Slow Thai’s Nothing Great About Britain has been nominated for a Mercury Prize.
Formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, the Mercury Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the UK and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British Association of Record Dealers in 1992, it serves as an alternative to the Brit Awards
The first winner being Primal Scream’s, Screamadelica. The prize is open to all genres of music, from folk and classical music to urban grime. The Presentation of the awards will take place in October, after the shortlist which will be announced in September. Other nominees include; Anna Calvi’s Hunter, Black Midi’s Schlagenheim, Cate Le Bon’s Reward, Dave’s Psychodrama, Foals’ Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1, Fontaines D.C. with Dogrel, IDLES with Joy as an Act of Resistance, GreyArea by Little Simz, NAO’s Saturn, SEED Ensemble’s Driftglass and The 1975’s A BriefInquiryinto Online Relationships.
Slow Thai’s recent success is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the up and coming grime scene in the UK. Stormzy’s headline set on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage made waves as he humbly thanked those that had put him there and listed all the UK’s up and coming grime artists in a full 5 minute long speech, of which Northampton’s Har-Q was on the list.
“Grime for me is a minor discourse, it seeks to destabilise the major discourse, and this makes it political. In that sense it is for me the new folk, it’s the music of the people”
Rachel Thomas
Grime for me is a minor discourse, it seeks to destabilise the major discourse, and this makes it political. Above all it has a collective value in the people it unites and gives voice to, this is its revolutionary function. In that sense it is for me the new folk, the peoples words in their own voice not policed by the paymasters, free and unadulterated, it’s the music of the people.
We have such a diverse music scene here in Northampton from the indie bands in the form of The Barratts and Sarpa Salpa, to the grime acts emerging out of creative collectives such as the Lay it Down nights at The Lab. L30 Robinson is one such artist who can regularly be seen performing.
