Music
Kaiser Chiefs tipped for Mercury Prize
By Reuters
Sep 6, 2005, 09:31

LONDON (Reuters) - Rock band Kaiser Chiefs are hotly tipped to scoop the 2005 Mercury Prize on Tuesday beating the likes of Coldplay and The Magic Numbers to one of Britain's most prestigious music awards.

Bookmakers William Hill said the Leeds band were firm favourites to take the top prize with their debut album "Employment".

"People say 'Oh, it's just great to be nominated, we don't mind whether or not we win.' They're lying to themselves. Everybody wants to win," Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson said after the nominations were announced in July.

Despite the critical acclaim for their album "X&Y", Coldplay were distant outsiders behind the likes of M.I.A. with "Arular" and "I Am A Bird Now" by Anthony And The Johnsons.

"If the Kaiser Chiefs win then I could well be the one seeking employment, they have been consistently backed and we have a very lopsided book," said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams.

"Perhaps the biggest surprise is that we have taken hardly a bet on Coldplay despite the fact that their album 'X&Y' is all but guaranteed to be the biggest selling album of the year."

The 20,000 pound prize honours the best album of the last year by a UK or Irish act, chosen from a wide range of musical genres, and voted for by an independent panel of judges.

Last year Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand beat off the likes of The Streets to win with their self-titled debut album.

Other musicians up for the 2005 award are Bloc Party, The Go! Team, Hard-Fi, KT Tunstall, Maximo Park, Polar Bear, and Seth Lakeman.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Jools Holland.



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