Live from The Brudenell Social Club: local triumph as English Teacher win the Mercury Prize
Last night, Leeds’ beloved four-piece English Teacher took home the Mercury Music Prize for their debut album, This Could Be Texas, a stunning and expansive record which truly captures the experience of living in modern Britain as a 20-something. With references to the uselessness of the government and “splitting our prescriptions like they’re broken biscuits”, English Teacher’s debut taps right into the current climate without coming across as preachy or clichéd. The album couldn’t sum up the year any better – and the win was utterly deserved.
In the band’s acceptance speech, lead singer Lily Fontaine acknowledged the Brudenell Social Club and its owner, Nathan Clark, a venue that has formed the centre of Leeds’ independent music scene for years. Ask any musician or music lover in Leeds their favourite venue – chances are they’ll say the Brude. Welcoming bands of all sizes, there are gigs multiple times a week across the venue’s two rooms, including plenty of free shows, album and EP launches, and residencies.
The Brude is a genuine community space, and English Teacher have played there many times, even releasing a live EP for this year’s Record Store Day, which consisted of tracks played at one of their shows at the venue. Last night, I found myself sitting on a row of picnic tables outside of the Brudenell, all joined together to make a massive table akin to the Last Supper, waiting to discover who had taken home the Mercury Prize. Huddled around my friend’s phone screen with the live stream playing, we sat in nervous anticipation as we listed out the nominees and their chances of winning.
My friends, themselves very close mates with English Teacher, were unable to sit still – their group chats at the ready to send a congratulatory message. We didn’t have any doubts that it wouldn’t be them – how could they not take home the coveted prize? When their name was announced, cheers, tears, and hugs abounded, and one of my friends disappeared inside to grab a bottle of wine once the speech was over. Sitting at the very venue the band had just praised, we all felt a huge sense of pride, acknowledging how lucky we are to have such a special venue on our doorstep, which fosters a space for musicians to build an audience, make connections with other musicians, hone their skills, and have their craft taken seriously.
We’re currently living through a climate where independent venues are facing constant threats of closure, but the unanimously loved Brudenell Social Club proves just how vital it is for venues like these to exist. I’ve seen artists big and small here, from my friends’ bands to groups I’ve enjoyed for years, like Oh Sees and Melt-Banana. Considering I’d just watched my boyfriend and pals play a set in the Main Room as Slick Cage, it felt apt to then come outside and watch a local Leeds band win one of Britain’s most prestigious awards.
The city is fostering one of the country’s most thriving music scenes right now, and it’s thanks to venues like The Brudenell that up-and-coming bands can get the chance to do something important and make an impact on the local – and wider – music scene. Earlier this year, I spoke to Sammy Robinson from Brudenell Presents, who organises many of the gigs that take place at the venue (and other indie spaces in the city), who stressed the importance of bringing the local community together.
He told Far Out, “It’s incredibly important to support your local community” because “that’s who helps independent venues survive, and local artists are a massive part of those communities”.
It might sound cliché, but music always has – and always will – bring people together. Going to gigs acts as a gathering space for like-minded people, and I’ve made many friends at The Brudenell, which puts on enough accessible and local gigs to make it my go-to pub for catching a band or bumping into friends. English Teacher’s Mercury Prize win is proof that indie venues have the power to provide platforms for new generations of essential musical voices – ones we need in times like these.
The band has done Leeds proud, and it seems they’re only going to get bigger. I remember buying the seven-inch single of their 2021 debut single ‘R&B’ from Jumbo Records, impressed with Fontaine’s striking lyrical talent. “Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B/ Even though I’ve seen more Colour Shows than KEXPs,” she sang, cementing herself as a songwriter with the ability to make witty cultural references without falling into gimmicky territory.
Led by a terrific bassline, the song was the perfect introduction to English Teacher for many, and since then, they’ve risen fast. With appearances on Jools Holland, high-profile festival slots, and now a Mercury Prize under their belt, English Teacher have truly asserted themselves as a necessary act in modern music – while also helping to put the exciting Leeds music scene on the map.
