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British psychedelic rock group The Klaxons have been awarded Britain's coveted Mercury Music Prize.
The group beat out 11 others, including the Arctic Monkeys and troubled diva Amy Winehouse, to win the award for their debut album, Myths of the Near Future.
Winehouse made a surprise performance, singing her song Love is a Losing Game at the awards ceremony today. Winehouse had been scheduled to appear but organisers were unsure if she would make it, given her recent troubles with alcohol and drug addiction.
When Klaxons keyboardist James Righton was asked how he felt in taking out the prize over Winehouse, who had been favoured to win, he replied: "Her record is a retro record, ours is the most forward thinking record of the year. We are moving forward."
Previous winners of the Mercury Prize include the Arctic Monkeys, London rapper Dizzee Rascal, Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand and Antony and the Johnsons, fronted by British-born but US-raised Antony Hegarsty.
- NZHERALD STAFF
