Super Extra Bonus Party were the surprise winners of this year’s Choice Music Prize, Ireland’s equivalent of the U.K.’s Mercury Prize.
The dance/rock collective won the award — now in its third year — for their self-titled album, which was released last April on Alphabet Set Records.
Originating from Newbridge, Co. Kildare, victors Super Extra Bonus Party are led by Cormac Brady and Stephen Fahey, and experimented with a range of musical styles on their winning album, ranging from hip-hop to funk.
A panel of 12 music industry experts chose the band over a string of major label artists such as Cathy Davey (“Tales Of Silversleeve”), Roisin Murphy (“Overpowered”) and the fancied singer/songwriter Adrian Crowley (“Long Distance Swimmer”).
The non-voting chairman of the judging panel, Jim Carroll, presented the gong and the €10,000 ($15,000) prize money to the band during a ceremony in Dublin’s Vicar St venue last night, which was MC’ed by the BBC presenter David “Rigsy” O’Reilly and Channel 6 TV’s’s Michelle Doherty
All ten shortlisted artists performed live on the night, including indie rockers Delorentos, Stanley Super 800 and the Flaws, Irish traditional progressives Kila, singer/songwriter David Geraghty, and electronica act Dry County.
Previous winners of the Choice Music Prize are Julie Feeney (2005) and Divine Comedy (2006).
