Lauren Laverne to host Mercury Prize ceremony in Newcastle

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne has been announced as the host of this year’s Mercury Prize.

The ceremony will take place in Newcastle on 16 October, marking the first time the event has been held outside of London.

The Mercury Prize is one of the most prestigious industry awards, celebrating the best British and Irish albums of the year and previous winners include Ezra Collective, Little Simz, Arctic Monkeys, Portishead and Pulp.

Alongside the awards show, the Mercury Prize Newcastle Fringe has also been announced with events taking place across the north-east of England.

Laverne, from Sunderland, has hosted the awards before and is a champion of the North East music scene.

Music agency Generator is organising the fringe events, which will span all seven council areas of the North East Combined Authority and will provide opportunities for local talent.

Running from 9 to 15 October, live gigs, workshops and roundtables will be taking place at The Glasshouse in Gateshead, Pop Recs in Sunderland, Queen’s Hall Arts in Hexham, and World Headquarters and the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle.

The Mercury Prize shortlist will be announced on 10 September.

The 16 October ceremony, held at the Utilita Arena and to be broadcast by the BBC, will feature live performances from some of the 12 shortlisted artists, culminating in the announcement of the winner.

Last year saw Leeds-based English Teacher claim the prize, the first act from outside London to win since 2014.