Matt Westcott speaks to David Brewis, who along with his brother Peter, makes up Sunderland band Field Music. Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for the album Plumb 

ASKED about being nominated for one of the music industry’s most illustrious awards, David Brewis says: “The prospect of getting too big for our boots is very, very remote.”

Named as one of the 12 Albums of the Year, Plumb, sees the Brewis boys, David and Peter, pictured, from Wearside , rubbing shoulders with the likes of Plan B, Ben Howard, the Maccabees and Lianne La Havas. With “playful harmonies, quirky rhythms, the stop start sounds of everyday life, love and daydreams in today’s British city” their fourth release is, say the judges “gripping and affecting”. The nomination still came as something of a surprise to the brothers, and David admits to being a little incredulous even now.

“We are such a small concern.

We do get a lot really nice reviews, but we are never going to sell a lot of records.

Even after this, we are not going to explode and be huge because what we do is always going to be limited in its appeal,” he says. Brewis says he believes Field Music are a refreshing alternative to the mainstream music scene.

“There are lot of people out there who are probably a little bit disillusioned with a lot of new music and are desperate for something to come along which sounds a bit different and takes a different tack and, hopefully, what we do will appeal to a few of those,” he says.

“But we are not expecting to suddenly storm the charts or sell out Wembley Arena. It wouldn’t be in our nature.”

As if to illustrate the fact, the brothers have promised to turn up to the awards ceremony in their own van and set up their own gear on stage.

“We will probably get to the know the other bands’ crew more than we will get to know the artists themselves. And you know what, that’s the way we like it because that’s how we do things,” David adds.

The overall winner of the 2012 Prize will be announced at the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards Show at the Roundhouse in London on November 1.

  • Field Music are appearing at Sunderland’s Split Festival which runs from tomorrow until Sunday. split-music.co.uk/festivals/ split.php