Porridge Radio on the Hyundai Mercury Prize and new music plans

With the Hyundai Mercury Prize just a few days away, Porridge Radio‘s Dana Margolin has spoken to NME about the band’s fellow nominees and their plans for new music. Watch our video interview with Margolin above.

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The Brighton indie four-piece are nominated for the coveted award this year for their acclaimed album ‘Every Bad‘, up against the likes of Stormzy, Charli XCX, Anna Meredith, Sports Team and Michael Kiwanuka.

Asked about her thoughts on the competition, Margolin replied: “I don’t really see it like that. I love so many of the other artists on the shortlist and it’s quite nice to be on a shortlist with so many artists who I respect.

“I’ve been considering making a bet, but maybe I shouldn’t. I think maybe Michael Kiwanuka would be who I’d want to win. It’s hard to say. How do you make a decision? I love Charli XCX, I love Stormzy, so maybe one of those? Dua Lipa would be great.”

Of the records she wishes would have been nominated, Margolin said: “I really loved Sorry’s album [‘925‘]. That would have been a cool addition.”

Despite the coronavirus lockdown wiping out their tour plans just as their latest record was released, Margolin told us that was just appreciative of the love that ‘Every Bad’ has received.

“Honestly, we released the album a week before lockdown and the love all came during lockdown,” she said. “I don’t really feel the bitterness of the bittersweet. Everyone’s just been so receptive to our album and so excited by it. It’s a level of reception that we’ve never had before.

“We couldn’t tour, and obviously that was our plan for this year – but we’ve been able to do loads of other cool stuff in that time. We’ve just released a new song ‘7 Seconds‘, we’ve got the Mercury nomination, we’ve been demoing a lot and writing a lot. I feel like it could have been a lot worse for us.”

On the subject of ‘7 Seconds’, Margolin said that the new single was a good indicator of what to expect next from the band. “We’ve got a lot of songs that we’re excited to start recording and think about releasing in the future,” she revealed. “We didn’t think that we’d to get to this point so soon. ‘7 Seconds’ has been waiting for a while, but it’s also very new. With the production and the sound, that’s the direction we’re leaning into.”

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She continued: “I think that the world has been on fire for a while, and will continue to be on fire. We’re going to continue working. We’ve got loads of ideas, loads of songs, loads of plans and we’ll just continue to see what will happen. We’re not going to rush anything?”

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the winner of the coveted prize will be announced on The One Show on BBC One on September 24, after a week of programming that will also include a special of Later… With Jools Holland featuring performances from all nominees.

Check back at NME for more interviews with the nominated artists.