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title: > Stuart Maconie is going to get shot date: 2005-09-03 23:52 status: published description: > ...with a gun - by lots of Geordies who aren't wearing shirts but are enjoying excellent music.

tags: 6 Music, music, radio, the Mercury Music Prize 2005, Stuart Maconie, getting shot, idiocy, the Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, Hard-Fi, Maxïmo Park, Newcastle, Geordies, the Futureheads, Sunderland, Mackems, Antony and the Johnsons

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Today's <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/criticallist/" title="BBC Radio 2">Critical List</a> was a special comprising just those <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/mercurys/" title="BBC Music">albums nominated for this year's Mercury Music Prize</a>. <ins>...which, incidentally, is being awarded <abbr title="2005-09-06">this Tuesday</abbr> night and will be on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/"><abbr class="caps">BBC</abbr> Four</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/">Radio 1</a> at 21:00 and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/">6 Music</a> at 24:00.</ins>
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The favourites are, not surprisingly, the <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kaiser+Chiefs" title="Last.fm">Kaiser Chiefs</a> - their <q>faux-indie</q> style (pop in the style of popular, but still not mainstream, contemporary music) is very comparable to last year's winners, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Franz+Ferdinand" title="Last.fm">Franz Ferdinand</a> (whose stated aim was <q>to make the girls dance</q>). </p>
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Also on the programme was <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Hard-Fi/_/Move+On+Now" title="Last.fm">Move On Now</a>, from <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Hard-Fi" title="Last.fm">Hard-Fi</a>'s album <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Hard-Fi/Stars+of+CCTV" title="Last.fm">Stars of <abbr class="caps">CCTV</abbr></a>, the style of which is vastly removed from that of their four singles to date. This song is a soft piano ballad, essentially down-tempo lounge music. </p>
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Of course, the clear winner ought to be <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Max%C3%AFmo+Park" title="Last.fm">Maxïmo Park</a>'s album <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Max%C3%AFmo+Park/A+Certain+Trigger" title="Last.fm">A Certain Trigger</a>. Stuart Maconie introduced <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Max%C3%AFmo+Park/_/The+Coast+Is+Always+Changing" title="Last.fm">The Coast Is Always Changing</a> with this: </p>
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Here's another, this time from Wearside. </p>
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My immediate response to this was <q>Oh, he is going to get <em>shot</em>!</q>. </p>
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Wearside, of course, refers to <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=sunderland" title="Google Maps">Sunderland</a>, through which the River Wear flows. Unfortunately, Maxïmo Park are from <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=newcastle+upon+tyne" title="Google Maps">Newcastle upon <em>Tyne</em></a>. </p>
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As any <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=tyne+and+wear&ll=54.940949,-1.485214&spn=0.173487,0.392040&t=h" title="Google Maps">map of Tyne and Wear</a> shows, Newcastle is about 20 <abbr title="kilometres">km</abbr> west-north-west of Sunderland. And, of course, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie" title="Wikipedia">Geordies</a> aren't very fond of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackem" title="Wikipedia">Mackems</a>. </p>
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After the song Stuart carried on, saying that Maxïmo Park are one of two indie acts from Sunderland this year, the other being <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/The+Futureheads" title="Last.fm">the Futureheads</a> (who <em>are</em> actually from Sunderland). I don't think he should visit any music venues in Newcastle any time soon. Or ever. </p>
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<ins>For historical reference, the eventual winner was <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4217140.stm" title="BBC News">Antony and the Johnsons</a>, who were pretty much the favourites by the time of the announcement.</ins>
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