The Mercury Prize 2024 winners took to the O2 Academy on home soil for a night that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. The night was filled with electric stage presence, unique powerful vocals and was so unapologetically Yorkshire.

Supporting act The Orielles deserve a shout out as well. Hailing from Halifax, the trio delivered a set that combined head-banging playfulness with ethereal interludes that showed off incredible musicality and versatility. It felt like the perfect way to warm up the stage for English Teacher.

The quartet made a slightly late arrival but it was certainly worth the wait. The band walk out humble and collected before almost immediately launching into ‘This Could Be Texas’, with vocalist Lily Fontaine utilising her earnest and almost breathy delivery that she seems to have mastered. She has a talent for making lyrics sear their way into the brain and linger there for a long time.

For ‘Broken Biscuits’, a single spotlight illuminates the curtain as Fontaine takes her spot at the keyboard. This alongside ‘Mastermind Specialism’ are the sort of songs that satisfies the tear jerker itch. Blends of cultural references and pure, unbridled anguish, further illuminated by Blossom Caldrarone’s haunting melodies with her cello, they masterfully portray the realities of inner turmoil and conflict. The soft light of the spotlight bathing the stage and painting silhouettes of the band on the curtain, it serves to add to the tone of those particular songs.

It has to be said that throughout the entire set, Fontaine had no qualms in reminding her audience just how much she oozes cool. Sporting a Love Will Tear Us Apart jumper, carrying an impressive set of vocals and a confidence that is just effortless but also humble.

As the night reached its peak, the show began to introduce more movement and infectious energy, not only on stage but throughout the crowd with ‘I’m Not Crying You’re Crying’ and ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ inviting the crowd to dance until their feet hurt and sing their voices raw. If these were the matches, then ‘Nearly Daffodils’ added the friction that lit the fire. Class was well and truly in session, mosh pit style with chants of ‘Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire’ following swiftly. The night was not only a celebration of English Teacher’s humble northern roots, but a masterclass of originality, versatility and craftmanship.

English Teacher well and truly proved that they are Mercury Prize winners for a reason. The crowd’s admiration for them was evident as they truly embraced their Yorkshire roots in solidarity to one of Leeds’ finest. The band’s charisma, ability to connect with their fans though tender and raw moments of relatability, humble attitude, dynamic

stage presence and Fontaine’s powerful vocals carried through the entirety of the set. It’s safe to say that Leeds got a stark reminder of what the fuss was about and what English Teacher are truly capable of as artists. and its abundantly clear that their journey from here on out is one to watch

Photos and Review by Kaya McNeil-Simms