English Teacher announce free Leeds show tonight to celebrate Mercury Prize nod

English Teacher have announced a special one-off free hometown show to take place in Leeds tonight (July 31) to celebrate their Mercury Prize nomination.

• READ MORE: English Teacher on their Mercury Prize nod: “It’s worth pushing through the hard times”

The show, which the band announced on social media, will take place at Brudenell Social Club in the city, in collaboration with Fender. Doors are at 7pm and the band have confirmed it will be first come, first served.

The indie band picked up their Mercury nod last week (July 25), with the former NME cover stars‘ acclaimed debut ‘This Could Be Texas’ being shortlisted alongside records by the likes of Charli XCX, CMAT, Ghetts, The Last Dinner Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Beth Gibbons, Barry Can’t Swim and more.

FREE ENTRY SHOW TOMORROW AT @Nath_Brudenell IN COLLAB WITH @Fender TO CELEBRATE THE BIG NEWS

7pm first come, first serve xxxxx pic.twitter.com/u48k7KomqE

— English Teacher (@Englishteac_her) July 30, 2024

Since receiving the news, the band have spoken to NME about what it means to be nominated, with frontwoman Lily Fontaine describing it as “mental”, and calling this year’s list of nominees “the best year yet. Not just because we’re on it!”

• READ MORE: English Teacher on the cover: a vital voice from the heart of UK guitar music

For a band who have been very vocal about how difficult it is for artists to survive and thrive in the current climate, English Teacher said that the honour felt all the more profound.

“There’s a lot of temptation to not continue making music because you physically can’t,” Fontaine admitted. “We had to push through so much stuff to actually make the album. It’s paid off in this weird culturally-recognised way, so it’s worth pushing through the hard times.”

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They also gave an indication of where they are with the creation of the follow-up to ‘This Could Be Texas’, with guitarist Lewis Whiting saying, “We’re kind of in the middle of it at the minute. We’re getting stuck into it now.

“I feel like it’s still in the really early stages. It’s hard to say. We’re still figuring that out, but we’re getting started.”

It was announced earlier today that English Teacher will also appear on the latest annual compilation album from the South London independent label Speedy Wunderground, which is set to arrive on August 30.

The winners of the Mercury Prize will be announced in September.

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