News

Shortlist for 2026 Mercury Prize announced with several northern names making the cut

What a lineup.

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall - 30th July 2026

The shortlist for the 2026 Mercury Prize has officially landed - and it's another huge year for music from the north.

The prestigious annual award, which celebrates the very best British and Irish albums released over the past 12 months, has unveiled its 12 nominated records ahead of this year's ceremony in Newcastle this October.

Among the biggest talking points is a first-ever Mercury Prize nomination for music legend and northern icon Sir Paul McCartney, whose latest album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane has earned him a place on the shortlist.

Elsewhere representing the north, Newcastle jazz collective Knats have been shortlisted for A Great Day In Newcastle while jungle pioneer Nia Archives, who comes from Bradford, is recognised for her acclaimed album Emotional Junglist.

Image: Audio North

Another artist flying the Newcastle flag is JADE with her debut solo album That's Showbiz Baby!, whilst other notable nominations include Olivia Dean, RAYE and and the charity compilation HELP(2) from War Child Records.

The full 2026 Mercury Prize shortlist is:

  • Paul McCartney – The Boys Of Dungeon Lane
  • Olivia Dean – The Art Of Loving
  • RAYE – This Music May Contain Hope
  • Dave – The Boy Who Played The Harp
  • Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
  • Dove Ellis – Blizzard
  • Knats – A Great Day In Newcastle
  • Kojey Radical – Don't Look Down
  • JADE – That's Showbiz Baby!
  • Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist
  • Suede – Antidepressants
  • War Child Records – HELP(2)

This year's Mercury Prize ceremony will return to Newcastle's Utilita Arena on Thursday 22 October after the city successfully hosted the awards for the first time last year.

The 2025 event saw hometown hero Sam Fender take home the coveted prize for People Watching, and who knows - maybe The Toon will bag another prize for a hometown hero.

Read more: The Maccabees at Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds – stage times, lineup, setlist and tickets

Featured image - Audio North

News

‘It wasn’t its time’ – Mediterranean Leeds cafe closes just two months after opening

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

A new street food spot has sadly closed its doors just two months after opening.

Back in May, a beautiful taste of the Mediterranean was was brought to us by Shvaan, a very talented chef who previously worked alongside his family at Eastern Oven in Kirkgate Market.

An absolute gem of a spot, Eastern Oven is known for its fresh breads, aromatic meats and plates bursting with colour - and this is exactly what Shvaan set up with FenerBar.

This new venture opened up inside The Attic, a multidisciplinary arts and events space just on the outskirts of the city centre by The Tetley and the new Aire Park development.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Serving up Eastern Mediterranean dishes like mackerel, lamb and beef kebabs, as well as various colourful vegan plates, everything at Fenerbar was homemade and you could really tell the amount of love put into each and every dish.

Unfortunately, Fenerbar has now closed its doors with owner Shvaan stating 'it wasn't it's time'.

Announcing the sad news to Instagram, Fenerbar said: "fenerBar has been closed. It wasn’t its time, whether it’s from the past or in the future, we’ll have to find out.

"Many thanks to @theatticleeds for hosting me and giving me the space to give it a shot. Wish them all the best. And thanks to everyone who came."

Of course in true Leeds fashion, fellow independents flocked to the comments showing their support and wishing Fenerbar all the luck in the next chapter.

We're sure this isn't the end for Shvaan's talents, and we can't wait to see what he does next.

Read more:

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

News

Vinyl-only 1970s-inspired cocktail bar coming to Leeds from team behind some of the city’s best bars

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

A new cocktail bar is coming to Leeds city centre.

If you know a thing or two about cocktails, or just drinks in general, then you're going to be very excited about this news.

The very talented team behind Roland's on Call Lane and The Domino Club, just to name a few, are setting their sites on a brand-new venture.

Introducing Paper Plane, an intimate new cocktail bar that will be taking over the old Casa site in the city's beautiful Grand Arcade.

Paper Plane will be inspired by the glamour of 1970s air travel and will be a vinyl-only listening bar, serving a world-inspired cocktail menu alongside a carefully curated whisky collection.

The space will be lovely and intimate, with around just 40 covers, designed to transport guests somewhere completely different from the minute they step foot through the door.

And what a location too, joining a whole host of fantastic independents in the arcade such as Alfonso's Deli, Stuzzi and Sonder.

For now, we don't know many more details about the project, but we already know it's going to be exceptional cas anything these guys do turns to gold.

Not only has Roland's been consistently one of the busiest bars on Call Lane since they opened back in 2014, but The Domino Club was recently crowned one of the best cocktail bars in the world. Now that is some accolade worth shouting about.

We'll keep you updated with Paper Plane's progress, but Roland's have stated that the site is hoping to open this coming autumn. So we really don't have long to wait.

Read more from The Hoot Leeds:

Featured image - Supplied


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