‘The kinetic energy is palpable’: Manchester embraces its first Brit awards Event’s first venture outside London aims to recognise geographical diversity of UK’s music talent The Guardian - UK · Feb 28
“Gear is a nightmare. When you play every night, the failure rate goes through the roof”: Award-winning UK indie stars English Teacher on the dangers of self-relic'ing, and why they love Fender offsets “for the same reason any alternative band does” Guitarist Lewis Whiting and bassist Nicholas Eden celebrate their new Fenders, explain how they transform studio songs to live performances, and reveal how they react when things go wrong Guitar World · Dec 19, 2025
FKA twigs, Sam Fender, Pulp and Wolf Alice lead performers for 2025 Mercury Prize The shortlisted artists set to perform at the Mercury Prize have been unveiled. BANG Premier · Oct 2, 2025
The 1975 to headline Glastonbury Festival amid rumours of Lorde secret set This year’s line-up features a number of acts listed as TBA, as well as a mysterious act called Patchwork, which will take to the Pyramid Stage. Evening Standard · Jun 27, 2025
“Clever flurries of musical activity keeping multiple balls in the air. Then it all goes, against expectations, a bit King Crimson”: A prog band won last year’s Mercury Prize. Did you notice? English Teacher might sound like another cookie-cutter post-punk NME-frendly group, but debut album This Could Be Texas proves they’re about as progressive as it gets Louder · Apr 15, 2025
Damiano David, Sparks and Kaytranada join Bilbao BBK 2025 lineup Exclusive: Eclectic lineup additions come as The Independent teams up with the festival as its exclusive international news partner The Independent UK · Mar 20, 2025
English Teacher Season 2 Greenlit Despite Brian Jordan Alvarez Sexual Assault Allegations English Teacher is getting a second season, despite ongoing sexual assault allegations against its creator and star, Brian Jordan Alvarez. Pedestrian.tv · Feb 8, 2025
English Teacher, Du Blonde, Nadine Shah and more join Iggy Pop, Manic Street Preachers and Sisters of Mercy on Bearded Theory festival bill English Teacher, Du Blonde, Nadine Shah and more join Iggy Pop, Manic Street Preachers and Sisters of Mercy on Bearded Theory festival bill Louder · Jan 13, 2025
Chappell Roan crowned BBC Radio 1's Sound Of 2025 Chappell Roan beat English Teacher, Barry Can't Swim and Ezra Collective to be crowned BBC Radio 1's Sound Of 2025. BANG Premier · Jan 10, 2025
I travelled up and down the UK this year. One album sums up what I saw Weariness, confusion, flashes of anger – for me, English Teacher’s lyrics evoke the texture of British life today, says Guardian columnist John Harris The Guardian - UK · Dec 22, 2024
English Teacher on winning the Mercury, being inspired by Amy Winehouse and the 'bonkers' pressures of success The much-lauded guitar band on how it’s been ‘amazing, but really hard’ since making it big this year Evening Standard · Dec 12, 2024
BBC Sound of 2025 longlist tips established artists including Chappell Roan and Confidence Man Following a change in eligibility criteria, nominees for the broadcaster’s annual award also include Kneecap, Barry Can’t Swim and Mercury prize winners English Teacher and Ezra Collective The Guardian - UK · Nov 21, 2024
English Teacher at Shepherd's Bush Empire review: moments of spine-tingling brilliance from superstars in the making 4/5 The Leeds-based band brought their uniquely unconventional mix of spoken-word and art-punk to a packed crowd Evening Standard · Nov 13, 2024
Kneecap to headline Wide Awake festival 2025, with English Teacher, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Sprints, CMAT among first wave of bands confirmed London's best independent music festival confirms 2025 headliner and stellar supporting cast Louder · Nov 5, 2024
Louder · Oct 19, 2024 “Those music scenes are supported by local musicians trying to help each other out”: English Teacher's Lily Fontaine on the importance of keeping small venues alive The Mercury Prize-winning singer cut her teeth in local venues and says they are crucial to artists breaking through
The Independent UK · Oct 19, 2024 Queer people deserve more than Netflix’s insipid Heartstopper This month has seen the release of an outstanding queer TV show – but you won’t find it on Netflix. LGBT+ viewers are crying out for more series like ‘English Teacher’, writes Louis Chilton
The Guardian - UK · Oct 16, 2024 ‘Lady Gaga went to our chippy’: how Yorkshire became a cultural powerhouse English Teacher won the Mercury prize, Amy Gledhill won the Edinburgh comedy award – and now even Beyoncé wants a piece of the action. Why has ‘God’s own county’ become such an artistic force?
Louder · Sep 8, 2024 "I was like, ‘What do I do?'. I chose the band": English Teacher's Lily Fontaine on how she turned her back on the world's best job to become a Mercury Prize-winner The English Teacher singer and guitarist can finally rest easy that she made the right choice
The Conversation · Sep 6, 2024 Mercury Prize 2024: English Teacher’s post-punk northern charm signals return of indie rock In a surprising turn of events, Leeds-based guitar band English Teacher won the 2024 Mercury Prize for their debut album This Could Be Texas, marking a triumph for indie rock.
The Guardian - UK · Sep 6, 2024 English Teacher on winning the Mercury: ‘We are proof that arts funding works’ The Leeds-based band – and first non-London act to win the prize for a decade – were quick to highlight the part that regional funding played and lamented recent cuts
Guitar World · Sep 6, 2024 “In terms of electric guitars, I’ve never used anything other than Fender in my life”: UK post-punk band English Teacher just won one of the most prestigious prizes in music – and it all started with Fender Previous winners of the UK's esteemed Mercury Prize include Arctic Monkeys, PJ Harvey, Primal Scream, Arlo Parks and Franz Ferdinand
MusicRadar · Sep 6, 2024 “We didn’t really plan this far… We just thought we’d make a band. What do we do now?”: English Teacher’s This Could Be Texas takes home Mercury Prize English Teacher wins 2024 Mercury Prize
Evening Standard · Sep 6, 2024 Who are English Teacher? What to know about the Leeds-based winners of the Mercury Prize They are the first act from outside London to win the prize in a decade
Louder · Sep 5, 2024 “We didn’t really plan this far!” English Teacher win the 2024 Mercury Prize for debut album This Could Be Texas Mercury Prize judges: “This Could Be Texas reveals new depths on every listen; the mark of a future classic”
The Guardian - UK · Sep 5, 2024 English Teacher are worthy Mercury winners – but the question of the prize’s future hangs heavy The smart, strange Leeds quartet clearly have a bright future ahead of them. But with no sponsor and a straitened ceremony, the same can’t be said for the Mercury