Plan B, Alt-J, Django Djangolead the 2012 Mercury MusicPrize nominations

The nominees for the twenty-first Mercury Music Prize have been announced with the William Hill bookies installing Richard Hawley and Plan B as the favourites ahead of “the new Radiohead” Alt-J and “the new Beta Band” Django Django.

Other contenders in the battle for the prize that shot Speech Debelle, M People, and Ms Dynamite to fame include “hushed soul” singers Lianne La Havas, Michael Kiwanuka and Jesse Ware; folk balladeers Sam Lee and Ben Howard, and the obligatory jazz nominees – Roller Trio.

Potential nominees to miss selection include The Cribs, The Twilight Sad, Bombay Bicycle Club, Florence and the Machine, Kate Bush, Four Tet, Hot Chip, Kindness, Spiritualized, Graham Coxon, Florence + The Machine, and Coldplay.

We’ve had a chance to hear several of the nominees live in Australia this year with Django Django, Ben Howard and Michael Kiwanuka all performing at Splendour, The Maccabees at Groovin’ The Moo, Plan B on his way here for Parklife, and Alt-J due to visit us on a headline tour next month.

Richard Hawley: Standing At The Sky’s Edge

Odds: 4/1

Plan B: Ill Manors

Odds: 4/1

Alt-J (∆): An Awesome Wave

Odds: 5/1

Django Django: Django Django

Odds: 5/1

The Maccabees: Given To The Wild

Odds: 7/1

Jessie Ware: Devotion

Odds: 7/1

Ben Howard: Every Kingdom

Odds: 8/1

Michael Kiwanuka: Home Again

Odds: 8/1

Lianne La Havas – Is Your Love Big Enough

Odds: 8/1

Field Music: Plum

Odds: 10/1

Roller Trio – Roller Trio

Odds: 10/1

Sam Lee – Ground Of Its Own

Odds: 10/1