Something in London Not Harry Potter-Related

Yesterday the 2005 Nationwide Mercury Prize nominees were announced in London. The award - voted on by industry experts, writers, and artists - recognizes the best in British and Irish music. Why is this relevant halfway around the globe? Of the twelve bands in the running, over half of them appeared at this year's SXSW festival: Bloc Party, The Go! Team, Hard-Fi, Kaiser Chiefs, The Magic Numbers, M.I.A., and Maxïmo Park are among the lucky few now plotting to pull a Tonya Harding on the clear favorite, Coldplay.