Florence Favourite For Mercury

Hotly tipped newcomers Florence And The Machine have been installed as the favourites for this year's Mercury Music Prize by bookmakers Ladbrokes.

It's that time of year already. The Nationwide Mercury Music Prize is almost upon us, and carries with it an annual bout of controversy. Rising in prominence the ceremony gathers some of the finest albums released by British artists this year.

The shortlist of albums was confirmed earlier this year. Bat For Lashes earned a nod for their second album 'Two Suns' which could just go one better than their debut album which lost out to Klaxons.

Joining Natasha Khan on the list are newcomers such as The Invisible, with female MC Speech Debelle also earning a nomination. There are numerous surprises with any one of the twelve entrants capable of carrying off the trophy.

However there can only be one winner and at the moment it seems as if the momentum is with Florence And The Machine. The group carried off a Brit Award earlier this year, and their debut album has earned numerous plaudits.

Entering the charts at number two, Florence And The Machine's debut album was stopped only by the posthumous recognition of Michael Jackson. However the record has sold more than any other debut album so far this year.

As a result, Ladbrokes have slashed the group's odds to win the Mercury. Now sitting at a handsome 5/2 to pick up the trophy, Florence And The Machine began proceedings at an unlikely 50/1.

A spokesperson from Ladbrokes said "the prize has earned a reputation as the graveyard of the favourites and we hope the trend continues.”

The Mercury typically picks the least obvious candidate as the winner. In the past, M People and Gomez have won the award while heavyweights such as Radiohead and Oasis have not.

The winner of the Mercury Music Prize is set to be revealed tomorrow night (September 8th). Odds for the candidates are as follows:

Florence And The Machine 5/2
Bat For Lashes 9/2
Speech Debelle 6/1
The Horrors 6/1
Lisa Hannigan 8/1
Friendly Fires 9/1
La Roux 10/1
Glasvegas 18/1
Kasabian 18/1
Led Bib 33/1
Sweet Billy Pilgrim 33/1
The Invisible 33/1