Speaking as they received the award, singer/songwriter Oliver Sim said the band had experienced the “most incredible year”. He added “It’s felt like every day we’ve woken up to something incredible that we weren’t expecting, like a haze.” He said that just being at the Mercury awards ceremony was like a “moment of clarity”.
The xx’s album xx was released in August 2009 and has since gone gold. It was described by journalist Miranda Sawyer before the awards ceremony as being “of the zeitgeist”.
The three-piece band were hotly tipped by bookies since the 12 shortlisted albums were announced in July. But a last minute flurry of betting saw Paul Weller overtake them as favourites on the day of the ceremony.
By early evening bookies William Hill were listing Paul Weller with odds of 1/2. The xx were on 10/11, with Foals on 8/1 and Wild Beasts at 9/1.
William Hill reported a “huge surge” in bets placed on Weller. The bookmakers said it was the “biggest turnaround in music betting for the last 40 years”, according to The Guardian.
Other bands listed for the prize included Mumford & Sons, Scotlands’ Biffy Clyro, previous winner Dizzee Rascal, and the customary "token jazz entry" the Kit Downes Trio.
The prize was given out by musician Jools Holland on Tuesday night in London.
