ROCK band Foals have been shortlisted for one of the most prestigious prizes in music.

The Jericho-based five-piece have had their latest album Holy Fire nominated for a Mercury Music prize. The album, the band’s third was recorded in London and released in February, peaking at number two in the charts. It includes the singles Inhaler and My Number. Judges described it as “a wonderfully dynamic album,” adding, it was “ambitious, intelligent and rhythmically compelling.”

It goes up against albums by Arctic Monkeys, David Bowie, Disclosure, Jake Bugg, James Blake, Jon Hopkins, Laura Marlin, Laura Mvula, Rudimental, Savages and Villagers.

Foals - Yannis Philippakis, Jack Bevan, Jimmy Smith, Walter Gervers, and Edwin Congreave - released their first album Antidotes in 2008, following it up with Total Life Forever, in 2010. The band have just completed a circuit of summer music festivals which saw them performing at Glastonbury and Reading.

A spokesman for the awards, formally known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for Albums of the Year, said the competition “celebrates and promotes the best of UK music... providing a snapshot of the year in music, and recognising artistic achievement across a range of genres.”

The full list of shortlisted albums:

  • Foals ‘Holy Fire’
  • Arctic Monkeys ‘AM’
  • David Bowie ‘The Next Day’
  • Disclosure ‘Settle’
  • Jake Bugg ‘Jake Bugg’
  • James Blake ‘Overgrown’
  • Jon Hopkins ‘Immunity’
  • Laura Marling ‘Once I Was An Eagle’
  • Rudimental ‘Home’
  • Savages ‘Silence Yourself’
  • Villagers ‘Awayland’