Mercury Music Prize 2022: Wet Leg lead Little Simz and Self Esteem

The Isle of Wight rock duo Wet Leg are the early favourites to win this year's Mercury Music Prize after a 12-strong shortlist was revealed.

They are 5/2 to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Arlo Parks and triumph with their debut album.

Twenty-two of the 30 Mercury winners have been debut albums, so it makes sense that a band that has received critical and popular acclaim for their first outing should be fancied.

But the other leading candidates are not debuts, so this could be a year to go against that trend.

The early favourite doesn't always win and there is often plenty of movement in the market between the shortlist and the announcement of the winner - which this year takes place on 8 September.

Self-Esteem better value than Simz

Little Simz was previously nominated in 2018 but Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is her most ambitious album by some distance. Initially, some critics found it unwieldy, but a grower is a good thing to be here.

Parks' Collapsed in Sunbeams had been out for nine months by the time it triumphed, while Michael Kiwanuka's 2019 winner was 10 months old come prize night.

In September, Simz fourth album will be one-year-old. Will that mean its moment has passed or will it have cemented its position in the judges' affections? Simz is a contender but 3/1 looks short.

Another album that's been around a while but still sounds vital is Prioritise Pleasure - the second album by Rebecca Lucy Taylor as Self Esteem.

It achieved instant classic status when it dropped last October and fans love Rebecca Lucy Taylor's barnstorming performances. Odds of 5/1 isn't a bad price for a record that topped several leading end of year lists in 2021.

Fender leads best of the rest

Sam Fender, like his beloved Newcastle United, has had an incredible year since his second album, Seventeen Going Under, topped the charts.

He hardly needs the exposure that winning the Mercury grants an artist and perhaps that's why he's 9/1.

The same is undoubtedly true of Harry Styles - this year's token super famous nominee (see Dua Lipa and Stormzy in 2020) - at 14/1.

Gwenno 15/2, who makes the list with her Cornish language album Tresor, is rated a better chance than either of those celebrities.

The blend of rap, soul and jazz on Kojey Radical's debut Reason to Smile makes him one to watch at 9/1.

This is just an early look at the odds. There are likely to be twists and turns in the betting on this most unpredictable event between now and the big night on September 8. We will have more updates, analysis and tips.

Mercury Music Prize 2022 - Latest Odds