Bookies Choose Burial As Favourite For Mercury Prize

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jul 31, 2008

The Mercury Prize nominees were announced barely a week ago and already the Brits are lining up to place their bets on who will be this year’s winner. And according to the bookies, a clear favourite has emerged from the pack of nominees. And no, it’s not Radiohead. UK bookmakers William Hill have named the ever-mysterious dubstep producer Burial as this year’s clear favourite, ahead of artists such as Adele, Neon Neon, Elbow and, yes, even Radiohead.

"The two people we’ve seen real money for is Radiohead at 9/2, but Burial is very much the favourite at the moment at 3/1," a William Hill spokesman told the BBC.

The Burial was originally placed low down on the list by the bookmakers, who put his/her/its album Untrue at 6/1 and behind both Radiohead's In Rainbows and the Last Shadow Puppets' The Age Of Understatement.

But since Burial’s true identity has up to now remained a closely guarded secret, who’s going to step up and receive the award if Untrue does take the Mercury Prize? We’re placing our bets on no one.

Here again is the full list of Mercury Prize nominees for 2008:

Adele 19
British Sea Power Do You Like Rock Music?
Burial Untrue
Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid
Estelle Shine
The Last Shadow Puppets The Age Of The Understatement
Laura Marling Alas, I Cannot Swim
Neon Neon Stainless Style
Portico Quartet Knee-Deep In The North Sea
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Raising Sand
Radiohead In Rainbows
Rachel Unthank And the Winterset The Bairns

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