Bury, Greater Manchester The 2008 Mercury Music Prize winning group "Elbow", fronted by Guy Garvey, hails from Bury and in 2009 the group was awarded the Freedom of the Borough after their 2008 classic album "Seldom Seen Kid" won several accolades including a Brit Award and Mercury Prize. Bury hosts several music festivals yearly, including the 'Glaston-Bury' festival on the August bank holiday weekend, and the Ramsbottom Music Festival, closing the festival season in mid September. While Glaston-Bury hosts mainly local/upcoming bands, Ramsbottom Music Festival hosts a wider range of talent, including bands such as "Soul 2 Soul" and "The Proclaimers". The festival
Mercury Prize has a reputation for being awarded to outside chances rather than the favourites. The 1994 award winner was "Elegant Slumming" by the pop act M People, which some felt was a controversial decision considering the shortlist included popular albums from Britpop figureheads Paul Weller, Blur and Pulp, and electronica band The Prodigy. Other music journalists critical of the awards stated that the 2005 award should not have been given to Antony and the Johnsons for their album "I Am a Bird Now" as, although they are British-born and therefore eligible for the Prize, the band were based in the United