Sam Fender, Yard Act, Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler Lead 2022 Mercury Prize Performers

Sam Fender, Yard Act, and Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler are among the artists set to perform at the 2022 Mercury Prize.

The shortlist for this year’s prize was announced in July and features 12 albums in the running for the title of 2022 Album Of The Year.

Fender, Yard Act, Buckley, and Butler will all perform at the ceremony, which will be held at London’s Eventim Apollo on September 8. They will be joined by the likes of Joy Crookes, Wet Leg, Nova Twins, Little Simz, Kojey Radical, Fergus McCreadie, and Gwenno. Harry Styles, who is also nominated, won’t be present but will film a live performance for the event.

Lauren Laverne will host this year’s award show once again, while live television, radio, online and social media coverage will be provided by BBC Music. BBC Radio 6 Music will also broadcast coverage of the ceremony, including live performances and the announcement of this year’s winner. Following the victor being crowned, the winning album will be played on the station in full.

Each nominated album will also be delved into by 6 Music’s Mercury Prize 2022 Pocket Guides. The special program will be aired from 12am to 3am on September 6 and will be available on BBC Sounds on demand afterward.

Fender is nominated for the 2022 Mercury Prize with Free Now for his second album Seventeen Going Under, a record that has taken him to new heights, including headlining his biggest gig to date in London’s Finsbury Park in July and winning Best Album In The World at the BandLab NME Awards 2022 in March.

Yard Act are in the running for their debut album, The Overload, which has seen them become one of the most talked-about new bands in the UK and beyond after starting the year on a raft of Ones To Watch lists. Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler, meanwhile, are up for their debut collaborative album For All Our Days That Tear The Heart, a compelling folk project that won acclaim from The Guardian, Evening Standard, and more.

The shortlist for the 2022 Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Albums Of The Year are as follows:

Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor
Gwenno – Tresor
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear The Heart
Joy Crookes – Skin
Kojey Radical – Reason To Smile
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Nova Twins – Supernova
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Yard Act – The Overload