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SHOCKING: 3 | Mind Blowing Facts

Mercury Prize award ceremony will return to Newcastle for second year

The award show was held at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena in October 2025 for the first time and will return to the venue again this autumn.

Evening Standard

Why Olivia Dean is Britain’s big hope at the 2026 Grammy Awards

COMMENT: The breakout star is vying for one of the biggest categories at this year’s Grammys: Best New Artist. Roisin O’Connor makes the case for why she deserves to be celebrated

The Independent UK

Olivia Dean and Lola Young dominate Brit Awards 2026 nominations

Olivia Dean and Lola Young have received five Brit Awards 2026 nominations, and they will battle it out to take glory on February 28.

BANG Premier

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Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Lily Allen nominated for 2026 Brit Awards

Sam Fender, the most recent recipient of the Mercury Prize, received four nominations.

Evening Standard

Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead Brit Awards 2026 as nominations mark record year for representation

This year’s nominations mark a milestone for the awards, with almost 70 per cent of shortlisted acts identifying as female or non-binary across solo and mixed-gender group categories

Evening Standard

Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead 2026 Brit award nominations

Singer-songwriters each receive five nominations at British music industry’s flagship awards – where Jarvis Cocker will return 30 years after Michael Jackson incident

The Guardian - UK

Brit Awards 2026: Winners in full as Olivia Dean wins Album of the Year

Ceremony was held in Manchester for the first time in the award show’s history, with Sam Fender, Noel Gallagher, Mark Ronson and Rosalia among the artists honoured

The Independent UK

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Oasis brought rock'n'roll back to the charts in 2025 (and Liam hints they may play again in 2026)

Oasis managed to infiltrate pop-dominated charts according to new figures, as Liam hints at more shows

Evening Standard

Our favourite songs of 2025, from Addison Rae’s ‘Headphones On’ to Chappell Roan’s ‘The Subway’

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: From the big-city yearning of Chappell Roan’s breakup ballad to Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s wonderful collaboration ‘Rein Me In’, The Independent’s culture team pick their favourite songs of the past 12 months

The Independent UK

Sam Fender shares that fellow Geordie Brian Johnson helped him through homesickness

Sam Fender would re-watch old Brian Johnson interviews when struggling with homesickness.

BANG Premier

Radio 1 reveals its biggest songs of 2025

Olivia Dean’s chart-topper Man I Need was crowned BBC Radio 1’s biggest song of 2025.

Evening Standard

The Brits Critics' Choice shortlist: who are the three artists selected?

The prestigious nominees for this breakthrough award are here ahead of next year’s awards

Evening Standard

'Give us your f**king money': Danny Dyer slams UK government in expletive-filled Rolling Stone UK Awards speech

The actor used his hosting slot to champion grassroots music venues and call for greater support for the arts

Evening Standard

Sir Bob Geldof will be honoured with Lifetime Achievement prize at the Rolling Stone Awards

Sir Bob Geldof has said he is ‘thrilled’ to receive the award

Evening Standard

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The Independent UK

BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend will be hosted by Northern city in 2026

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2026 will be hosted in Sunderland, taking place at Herrington Country Park from 22 to 24 May. Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James announced the news, saying that it was “very exciting for the city”, highlighting that the likes of Sam Fender come from…

The Guardian - UK

Paul McCartney joins music industry protest against AI with silent track

Former Beatle and artists including Sam Fender, Kate Bush and Hans Zimmer record silent LP Is This What We Want

MusicRadar

“An incredible gesture, demonstrating once again that artists absolutely understand how vital grassroots music venues are to their careers and to their communities”: Sam Fender to donate his Mercury winnings to the Music Venue Trust

Singer songwriter had already raised £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour

BANG Premier

Sam Fender donates £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to grassroots venues

Sam Fender is giving his entire Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

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The Independent UK

Sam Fender donates £25,000 Mercury Prize to one charity

IN FULL

The Independent UK

Sam Fender donates his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to charity

The singer won the award in October for his third studio album

The Guardian - UK

Sam Fender donates his £25,000 Mercury prize winnings to Music Venue Trust charity

Chart-topping singer-songwriter adds to his previous support of charity that works on behalf of small UK venues

Evening Standard

Sam Fender donates Mercury Prize winnings to charity protecting music venues

The singer from North Shields has given £25,000 to Music Venue Trust (MVT).

The Conversation

Sam Fender wins Mercury prize: ‘Geordie Springsteen’ is voice of a UK ravaged by industrial decline

The Mercury prize almost always produces surprises – among them, Gomez not The Verve in 1998, and English Teacher not Charlie XCX in 2024 – but perhaps the biggest surprise is that the prize has survived for so many years. That it has been won this year by Sam Fender…

International Business Times UK

Who is Sam Fender? Quick Facts on the Former Call Centre Worker Discovered in a Pub Who Just Won the Mercury Prize in 2025

Sam Fender's journey from small-town pub gigs to Mercury Prize winner highlights his working-class roots, resilience, and authentic storytelling in music.

The Guardian - UK

Sam Fender releases new song with Elton John, one day after Mercury prize win

John plays twinkling piano part in new song Talk to You, and says he ‘truly loves’ the Geordie singer-songwriter

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