2007. Klaxons, 'Myths of the Near Future'
Who were they? Nu-rave hipsters Klaxons put a dancy spin on indie; early singles 'Golden Skans', 'Gravity's Rainbow' and 'Atlantis to Interzone' were all sugar rushes of songs, and the album was lapped up by critics and music fans alike.
Was it an entirely outrageous choice? I'm going to be honest: 'Myths of the Near Future' is one of my favourite Mercury winners, and it's head and shoulders above a lot of the landfill indie that was being championed at the time. Despite this though, there's no escaping the fact that Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' was overlooked. It was a milestone of an album, and while the Mercury panel might not have wanted Winehouse's image associated with the Prize - there were rumours at the time that her drug addiction hindered her chances of winning - 'Back to Black' has certainly been a more influential piece of work than 'Myths of the Near Future'.
What have they done since? A second album was reportedly shelved by the label's request for being too weird, and instead, 2010's 'Surfing the Void' was the apparent compromise. A rockier, grittier follow-up, it was praised at the time, but not nearly as loved come the end of the year. The band are still working on the make-or-break third with James Murphy and the Chemical Brothers.