Ten acts will play the Mercury Prize in Newcastle on 22 October, with Pulp stepping in for War Child

The Mercury Prize, the UK and Ireland's annual award for album of the year, has named who will play at this year's ceremony. It takes place on Thursday 22 October 2026 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, the second year running the prize has been held in the city, and Lauren Laverne is hosting.

Who is playing

Ten acts will perform live. Each will play one song from the album that earned them a place on the shortlist:

• Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving
• RAYE, This Music May Contain Hope
• JADE, That's Showbiz Baby!
• Florence + the Machine, Everybody Scream
• Suede, Antidepressants
• Nia Archives, Emotional Junglist
• Kojey Radical, Don't Look Down
• Knats, A Great Day In Newcastle
• Dove Ellis, Blizzard

The tenth act is Pulp, who will perform on behalf of HELP(2), the War Child Records charity album that sits on the shortlist. The label compilation is the one nominee that is not a single artist's record, so a band stepping up for it is a neat solution.

Dave and McCartney on film

Two nominees will not be on stage. Dave's The Boy Who Played the Harp and Paul McCartney's The Boys of Dungeon Lane will be celebrated in a short film instead. McCartney's nomination is his first in the prize's history, which makes the film slot a little more notable.

How the shortlist was built

An independent judging panel picked the twelve albums from records by British and Irish artists released between 30 August 2025 and 17 July 2026. The list was revealed on 30 July. Last year's winner was Sam Fender.

Newcastle also hosts the Mercury Prize Fringe, a week of live music and new talent around the ceremony, according to the prize's own site.

The winner is announced on the night, so keep 22 October free if you want to hear it live.