Shazamers' Blog

Although she may not have won the Mercury Music Prize last night as many industry insiders predicted, there are still no signs that Florence Welch’s rapid upward ascendancy will slow down anytime soon. Her debut album ‘Lungs’ has spent over two months in the national top 10 and her soon to be released single, ‘Drumming Song’, has been supported by all of the key industry tastemakers. Now, after enrapturing audiences on the festival circuit over the course of the summer, Florence And The Machine announce their biggest tour to date – the highlight of which sees Florence headline the Brixton Academy a year after she first played the venue as part of her debut NME Tour.

Florence And The Machine Tour Dates
December: Sun 06 Belfast Ulster Hall
Mon 07 Dublin Olympia Theatre
Wed 09 Glasgow 02 Academy
Thu 10 Manchester Apollo
Fri 11 Lincoln Engine Shed
Sun 13 London Brixton Academy

Presale tickets are now on sale. For more info check out www.florenceandthemanchine.net

Stephen Titmus News Florence And The Machine, Mercury Music Prize

Last night rank outsider Speech Debelle scooped this year’s Mercury Music Prize which awards the best British album from the last 12 months. Opinion was largely divided in to three camps in the Shazam office on whether the winner would be Florence & The Machine, Friendly Fires or The Horrors. However one fairly vocal lone voice in the office continually insisted Speech Debelle would win, and who’d have thought it, her opinions were rightly vindicated.

Anyway, congratulations to Speech Debelle, as you can see from the below video, it’s not just her fans that were assured of her success…

Stephen Titmus News Florence And The Machine, Friendly Fires, Mercury Music Prize, Speech Debelle, The Horrors

As always around this time of the year, talk turns to who will be the likeliest contender for the 2009 Mercury Music Prize. After Elbow’s win last year capped off an amazing rise in the bands profile, talk of the fabled “Mercury Curse” has somewhat died down – Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand have all continued to release rapturously received albums after winning the prize in recent years.

This year sees the inclusion of several female artists who have all been subject to varying levels of hype in the past twelve months, from NME darlings La Roux and Florence and the Machine to blogosphere favourite Bat For Lashes. The list also sees the, somewhat surprising, inclusion of popular acts such as Glasvegas and Kasabian. The award is often criticised for ignoring populist tastes; a critique that simply cannot be aimed at this years shortlist.

As always there are cases for each candidate. Friendly Fires have shaken free their early Nu-Rave copyists tag and released a great collection of songs. The Horrors have made one of the most surprising albums of the year; surely the Shoegaze revival sounds of ‘Primary Colours’ deserves the accolade? Then again, the outsider can sometimes steal it. Will Sweet Billy Pilgrim surprise us all? The list is already causing debate around the Shazam music team. Who is your money on?

Bat For Lashes – ‘Two Suns’
Florence And The Machine – ‘Lungs’
Friendly Fires – ‘Friendly Fires’
Glasvegas – ‘Glasvegas’
The Horrors – ‘Primary Colours’
La Roux – ‘La Roux’
Led Bib – ‘Sensible Shoes’
The Invisible – ‘The Invisible’
Lisa Hannigan – ‘Sea Sew’
Kasabian – ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’
Speech Debelle – ‘Speech Therapy’
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – ‘Twice Born Men’

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Jon Davies News Bat For Lashes, Florence And The Machine, Friendly Fires, Glasvegas, Kasabian, La Roux, Led Bib, Lisa Hannigan, Mercury Music Prize, Speech Debelle, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, The Horrors, The Invisible