Mercury unearths Burial as frontrunner

07:57 | Monday July 28, 2008

Bookmaker William Hill was last Friday offering odds of 3/1 – shortened from 6/1 earlier in the week – on Burial’s second album Untrue winning the prize, which will be announced on September 9. XL act Radiohead were second favourite at 9/2 with In Rainbows.

Burial, who operates anonymously, also got the nod from our informal panel of

industry representatives ahead of Fiction’s Elbow, who are being offered at 11/2 by the bookies for their The Seldom Seen Kid.

“I think Burial should win it as his music is unique and groundbreaking; all the things the Mercury Prize should represent,” says Machine Management managing director Iain Watt.

For more, see this week’s issue of Music Week.