Antony and the
Johnsons win Mercury Prize

Art-pop combo Antony and the Johnsons--fronted by gay lead singer Antony Hegarty--won the Mercury Prize, one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious music awards. BBC News reports that the band's I Am a Bird Now CD beat out such heavy hitters as Coldplay and Kaiser Chiefs for the PS20,000 prize (about $37,000), which goes to the best album of the year by a British or Irish act. Hegarty has been compared to Lou Reed, and both Reed and Boy George contributed to Bird. "I think they must have made a mistake," said Hegarty upon accepting the award. "I am completely overwhelmed. I think that's insane." Previous Mercury Prize winners include Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, PJ Harvey, and Franz Ferdinand.