Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

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A lot has been written about Raye's journey to releasing her debut album.

Signed to a major label in her teens, she was constantly thwarted in her attempts to forge a career, under the insistence she should be a well-behaved pop girl.

As soon as she extricated herself, Raye proved how misguided their advice was. Escapism - a brutally honest account about abusing alcohol to get over a break-up - went to number one in January.

She followed it up with My 21st Century Blues, a wildly eclectic set of pop songs that showcased her ear for a melody.

Oscar Winning Tears is a soaring big band ballad; Black Mascara simmers and roils over a filtered house beat; Flip A Switch is dark, foreboding trap-pop.

Lyrically, she doesn't flinch from the darkness, addressing body dysmorphia, drug addiction, anxiety and, on the devastating Ice Cream Man, a life-changing experience of sexual assault.

You can see why her old label flinched. The album is too visceral for mainstream pop, but Raye's writing is too good to ignore.

The critics said: "You can feel the adrenalin rush of anger, joy and freedom pulsing through every one of the record's 13 invigorating tracks." - The Independent, external

Megan Lawton
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

Despite a recent back injury, Raye owned the stage with her - barefoot - performance of The Thrill Is Gone.

Accompanied by a full band, including horn section, the star had the Apollo grooving and clapping along.

In an earlier chat she told BBC Newsbeat she needs to rest so her back can recover, which her summer schedule packed with festival performances hasn’t allowed.

Image source, PA Media

In this photo you can see nine of this year's Mercury Prize's 12 judges on the red carpet .

They are (from left to right): Jeff Smith, Jamie Cullum, Jamz Supernova, Phil Alexander, Will Hodgkinson, Tahepo Mokoena, Lea Stonhill, Sian Eleri and Danielle Perry.

Image source, PA Media

You can now see the acts perform on a special BBC Four programme which we're streaming here in this page.

Watch by clicking on the teal-coloured play button in the picture above.

Mark Savage
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

You might have noticed that every artist who leaves the stage takes a Mercury Prize trophy with them. That’s because, according to the organisers, they’re all winners.

In fact, we get scolded if we refer to the 12 nominees as a “shortlist”.

But there’s definitely a winner at the end of the night.

So every nominee is equal, but one is more equal than the others…

Image source, Reuters

Radical Irish folk band Lankum emerged from the Dublin scene in 2014, under the name 'Lynched'.

Their intense, raw and creative albums, underpinned by a deep affinity with traditional music, have seen them collect awards in the UK and Ireland.

Lankum worked on their fourth album in County Wexford while living in a Martello Tower - one of more than 100 artillery forts built in the 19th Century as a defence against Napoleon's invading forces.

Mark Savage
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

Lankum are performing Go Dig My Grave, a variation of the traditional folk song The Butcher Boy - in which a “forsaken girl” takes her own life after being abandoned or cheated on by her lover.

It’s been covered by Peggy Seeger, Joan Baez and Sinead O'Connor - but Lankum really delve into the horror of the song’s tragedy with a brutal, discordant coda.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Image source, .

For their fourth album Heavy, Heavy, Edinburgh trio Young Fathers locked themselves in a windowless studio and went back to basics - writing and recording with no outside help, just like they had as teenagers making music in their bedrooms.

Spontaneity and improvisation were prioritised. The studio was ready to record as soon as they walked in the door. Mistakes were incorporated into the songs. Friends who dropped in were invited to contribute.

The result is the band's most freeing and uplifting music to date, emphasising the connection between childhood friends Alloysious 'Ally' Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings.

Musically, they're uncategorisable: The furious battle-cry of I Saw swoops and dives over a glam rock shuffle; Tell Me is an angelic plea for friends to share their problems that builds to a glorious orchestral climax; Drum's phased bassline and tribal percussion find the band urging listeners to "feel the beat of the drums and have fun".

"We don't fit into any particular genre, which ends up being a strength," Massaquoi told the BBC.

“But we want to make music that people have never heard before… that we've never heard before… and we do it because we love it."

The critics said: "Heavy Heavy is a stubborn challenge to have fun to despite everything around us; a resolute dance through gritted teeth, an acknowledgement that while the world crumbles, we can stand firm, still love, still dance, still sweat, and still be good to each other." - Clash, external

Megan Lawton
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

The room is on its feet for Young Fathers, who took over the stage with an electric, powerful performance of I Saw.

Ethereal vocals meet intricate production in this sophisticate musical duo of Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye.

The pair met at London's Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2016 and released their first EP Love Is the Key to the City, in 2018.

Their nominated album, I Love You Jennifer B, is the debut from the duo three years in the making.

It has been critically acclaimed for its unique, eccentric experimentation with orchestral and electronic sounds.

Mark Savage
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

Jockstrap play their confounding, brilliant single Concrete Over Water, which swings wildly from delicate, ethereal balladry to a hardcore electro beat.

It was an unexpected highlight at June’s Glastonbury festival, where the duo drew a huge crowd of swaying acolytes to the Park Stage.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

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While Messy might be Olivia Dean's debut album, she has been building towards it since she was an eight-year-old listening to Carole King and Aretha Franklin and Lauryn Hill.

After a stint at the Brit School, she briefly sang with Rudimental before releasing a series of emotionally candid solo EPs that attracted millions of streams.

The album's title, Messy, refers to the tumultuous process of growing up and discovering yourself - but the music is anything but chaotic.

Instead, Dean draws on her inspirations to craft a series of effortlessly uplifting soul songs. The video for The Hardest Part even sees her recreate The Supremes' dance routines that she used to practise with her mum and auntie at home.

Highlights include the Motown-influenced Dive; and UFO, a delicate ballad inspired by a line in a valentine's card: "You're the best version of love I've ever seen."

The critics said: "Throughout the album, the songwriting stays old-school: straightforward melodies and lyrics, clear structures, no jump-cut transitions, not even a guest rapper. It reaffirms what she's been doing right; it also claims new possibilities." - New York Times, external

Megan Lawton
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

Olivia Dean took to the stage to perform Carmen, a track from her album dedicated to her grandmother and the journey she made to the UK from the Caribbean.

She’s previously described it as a love letter to her granny and the Windrush generation.

On stage alongside the singer, were a live steel pan band - a nod to her Grandma’s roots.

It’s not just a big week for Olivia but her grandma too, as she turned 80 on Tuesday and promised her granddaughter she would try and stay up to watch the performance.

An update up from Megan and Mark at the Apollo - nominee J Hus has pulled out of tonight's show due to illness.

They’re playing a clip of his song Militerian in the place where he would have performed.

Mark Savage
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

Important news from the bar, where some card payments are now possible.

People are buying several rounds at once “just in case”.

In this heat?

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

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Spearheading London's burgeoning and boundary-breaking jazz scene, Ezra Collective released their debut album, You Can't Steal My Joy, in 2019.

Bursting with life, it combined elements of Afrobeat, jazz, reggae, salsa, hip-hop and grime. But before they could take it on tour, the pandemic hit.

Where I'm Meant To Be was written and recorded in lockdown, inspired by a conversation about imposter syndrome with film director Sir Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Small Axe).

Rather than reflect the isolation of the Covid era, the album is a joyous celebration of camaraderie and friendship - assisted by singers like Jorja Smith and Emeli Sandé; and rappers including Kojey Radical and Sampa The Great.

Soulful and rhythmically propulsive, it's guaranteed to make you move.

The critics said: "An exceptional album that centres joy and community, radiates positivity and youthful abandon, and could well be the one to cross over to the big league." - The Guardian, external

Guy Lambert
Reporting from the Hammersmith Apollo

The temperature in the room is hot, but it just got hotter. Ezra Collective raise the roof here at the Mercurys.

Jazz is most definitely back.

About 230 albums are usually entered (it costs £190+ VAT), and a judging panel listens to them all and then meets to determine the 12“albums of the year”. There are no categories and it’s open to all genres of music.

The judges then meet again on the day of the award ceremony to determine the sole winner. “This can be a long process”, the prize’s website says, adding "the judges base their decision solely on the quality of the music on the album”.

Their discussions are confidential, so we don’t really know what happens behind closed doors while they deliberate.

This year’s judging panel is:

Anna Calvi – Musician, songwriter and composer

Danielle Perry – Broadcaster and writer

Hannah Peel – Musician, songwriter and composer

Jamie Cullum – Musician and broadcaster

Jamz Supernova – Broadcaster and DJ

Jeff Smith – Head of Music, 6 Music & Radio 2

Lea Stonhill – Music programming consultant

Mistajam – Songwriter, DJ & broadcaster

Phil Alexander – Creative director, Kerrang!/contributing editor, Mojo

Sian Eleri – Broadcaster & DJ

Tshepo Mokoena – Music Writer & Author

Will Hodgkinson – Chief rock and pop critic, the Times

Just to give you an idea of the setup at the Hammersmith Apollo - here's music correspondent Mark Savage's view from inside the room:

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter

Image source, Reuters

Singer Jessie Ware, nominated for her album That! Feels Good! has some experience when it comes to the Mercury Prize.

Not only has she been nominated before, but has previously even been a judge.

“It’s celebrating the best British and Irish album, I’ve been on the panel and I know how much time they take in dissecting these records,” she told 5 Live’s Colin Paterson.

“I’m proud of my record so much, but for other people to pat you on the back, it’s a nice feeling. And you get a trophy even if you don’t win, so that’s great too!”

The album’s sound has been described as sexy, something Ware says she has to get into character for.

“I pretend that I’m somebody else, because really I’m a mother of three doing the school run, but on the album I assume this alter-ego, it’s very fun.”