Mercury Prize Winners 1992-1999: Iconic Albums & Controversial Choices
The Mercury Prize has always fancied itself the oracle of UK and Irish music. An annual "best album" badge that somehow manages to thrill and infuriate in equal measure. Between 1992 and 1999, it didn’t just pick winners, it sparked rows, overturned expectations, and occasionally left us all wondering what on earth the judges were thinking. Let’s revisit the first eight years, back when the prize was still trying to figure out how to be relevant without trying too hard.
1992: Screamadelica – Primal Scream
The Mercury kicked things off with Screamadelica, a kaleidoscopic mix of acid house, rock, and pure, unfiltered 90s hedonism. It was a nod to rave culture, bucket hats, and the glory of being gloriously off your face. Blur and U2 were in the running, but this was never their party.
1993: Suede – Suede
Britpop’s moody, eyeliner-wearing origin story. Suede’s debut oozed desperation and glam rock swagger, powered by Bernard Butler’s guitar theatrics. Raw, slightly sordid, and miles ahead of Sting’s MOR tedium. This was the year Britpop put its boots on and started kicking down doors.
1994: Elegant Slumming – M People
The first proper “what?” moment. Heather Small’s powerhouse vocals and polished dance-pop somehow edged out Blur’s Parklife and The Prodigy’s Music for the Jilted Generation. A strange choice, even now, but undeniably “very Mercury,” always partial to a curveball no one saw coming.
1995: Dummy – Portishead
Trip-hop at its melancholic peak. Dummy was all late-night gloom, cinematic tension, and Beth Gibbons’ haunting voice. Oasis fans sobbed into their pints when Definitely Maybe lost, but let’s be honest, Portishead wiped the floor with it.
1996: Different Class – Pulp
Pulp’s Different Class was a working-class masterpiece dripping in wit, satire, and Sheffield sass. Common People and Disco 2000 became instant anthems. Jarvis Cocker was untouchable. This wasn’t a controversial win, it was inevitable.
1997: New Forms – Roni Size / Reprazent
Drum and bass broke through with New Forms. Fresh, innovative, and leagues ahead of the indie crowd. Sure, Radiohead’s OK Computer didn’t win, which threw alt-rock fans into a spiral, but the Mercury needed this. Sometimes a shake-up is the best medicine.
1998: Bring It On – Gomez
Bluesy, folky, and a bit scruffy. Gomez’s Bring It On beating Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and The Verve’s Urban Hymns had critics crying foul. The Mercury, unbothered, backed its underdogs. Gravelly vocals and earnest musicianship trumped polished production.
1999: Midnite Vultures – Beck
By 1999, the Mercury was fully unpredictable. Beck’s Midnite Vultures, a funky, folky mash-up, beat Radiohead’s Kid A, Blur’s experimental phase, and The Chemical Brothers’ Surrender. Groundbreaking? Not really. But as a close to the decade, it was oddly fitting.
Recommended Listening: Gomez
If you haven’t dusted off Bring It On lately, do yourself a favour. Whippin’ Piccadilly still oozes bluesy swagger, mixing indie nonchalance with just the right amount of heart. Ideal for a long drive or doing nothing in particular. It’s scruffy, sure, but that’s the charm. A perfectly unpolished relic of late '90s experimentation. Memorable, if only because they didn’t try too hard.
