Returning to Channel 4 next week with a new series featuring some of the UK’s hottest live acts. The 2013 run of shows includes stunning live performances and insightful backstage interviews from Suede, Palma Violets, Laura Mvula, Tom Odell, Bastille, Johnny Marr, AlunaGeorge and Primal Scream – all filmed at The Hospital Club Studio in London. 

The legendary Suede kick-off the run of programmes at 12.15am on the night of Wednesday 22 May.  In the first of eight Sessions episodes, the band take to the stage to perform new tracks ‘Barriers’ and ‘It Starts and Ends with You’, as well as the classic, ‘Animal Nitrate’. The film also includes exclusive backstage interview as the band reflect on what brought them back together after a break of eight years. Further shows will be broadcast on Wednesday nights for a further seven weeks: 

•       Wednesday 22 May SuedePalma
•       Wednesday 29 May Palma Violets
•       Wednesday 5 June Laura Mvula
•       Wednesday 12 June Tom Odell
•       Wednesday 19 June Bastille
•       Wednesday 26 June Johnny Marr
•       Wednesday 3 July AlunaGeorge
•       Wednesday 10 July Primal Scream
 
In addition to the tracks that will be broadcast on Channel 4, further footage from each performance will be available to watch online at www.mercuryprize.com/sessions. 
The Sessions are an exclusive series of gigs that the Barclaycard Mercury Prize has established to celebrate live music in the UK and are separate from the Barclaycard Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’.  Featuring a range of new and established artists, the Sessions are filmed in front of an audience of around 250 music fans at The Hospital Club Studio in Covent Garden.