It was a Brit Awards that saw Harry Styles on stage accepting prizes for what felt like half the night – but while he dominated headlines, the singer’s clean sweep wasn’t the only thing people were talking about after this year’s ceremony.
Held on a Saturday night for the first time ever, moved from a school night presumably to get more people up for the party, the 2023 show included some stand-out performances – take a bow, Sam Smith and Kim Petras – as well as the usual mix of at least one odd acceptance speech and an awkward exchange between presenters on stage.
Styles, who kicked things off with his hit song As It Was, won all four of the awards he was shortlisted for – best pop/RnB act, best artist, best song and best album – while Wet Leg and Beyonce were the other big Brit Awards winners, and Becky Hill, Aitch and The 1975 also picked up prizes.
But awards shows aren’t just about awards.
Morris dancing and an Arctic Monkeys throwback
Was this the first ever Morris dancing performance at the Brits? If not, it was certainly the first one also featuring dancers dressed as massive owls.
Well done, Wet Leg, for putting on a memorable show.
The band also picked up the prizes for best new artist and best group – and reminded us all of that infamous Alex Turner speech from 2014, when Arctic Monkeys picked up the awards for best album and best group.
“That rock’n’roll, eh? That rock’n’roll, it just won’t go away. It might hibernate from time to time and sink back into the swamp…” said vocalist Rhian Teasdale, laughing as she continued and thanked all the women involved in making their debut album: “But in seriousness, thank you so much. This is so scary because being on the telly can be such a boys’ club thing.”
The most-memed outfit award goes to…
Apart from Bjork’s swan dress, Celine Dion’s back-to-front tux and a select few others, the fashion at TV and film awards shows tends to be more glam, less out there. Not so for the Grammys and Brits, where the music stars show it’s all about standing out by any means necessary.
This year, US singer and rapper Ashnikko created an alien-like second skin, while the Nova Twins made their own hooped tartan ensembles.
But in a field of strong entries, best song nominee and performer Sam Smith’s inflatable latex number wins the prize for most talked about on social media…
Serious snogging
And speaking of Sam Smith, their performance of hit song Unholy with Kim Petras was the stand-out of the night, reminding us all of the star’s beautiful and haunting vocals.
But it isn’t just the voice that people will remember – thanks to two amorous backing dancers who closed the set with some very heavy snogging on top of a car bonnet.
Goulding and Grennan
Ellie Goulding wore what can only be described as a breastplate to present an award alongside Tom Grennan, who made a rather awkward comment on stage – seemingly forgetting it’s not the 1990s anymore.
Tech problems
Close to the end of the ceremony, host Mo Gilligan was forced to apologise for “technical difficulties” – which meant viewers were shown archive footage of Adele performing at last year’s ceremony while they were sorted out.
It’s not clear what was happening behind the scenes, or if anything had to be cut, but there seemed to be a fair bit of filling.
And it came after some mishaps with the mute button, which failed to censor completely a few of the swearier speeches.
Sorry, Lewis
Gilligan also had a bit of a nightmare introducing performer and former Brit winner Lewis Capaldi, accidentally calling him Sam Capaldi.
He later joked about his mistake, saying how the drinks at the Brits are “extra strong”.
Don’t worry, Mo. We’re sure Lewis probably didn’t even notice…
Baby bumps
After announcing she was pregnant in January, having previously suffered a miscarriage and fertility struggles, Jessie J proudly displayed her baby bump on the Brits red carpet, accessorised with red lace and ruffles.
Singer Kamille also showed off her bump, dressed in turquoise satin.
Thanks, One Direction
Okay, we are going to mention Styles, after all. Not for his four awards, but for his thank yous.
There can’t be many former reality TV boybanders who go on to achieve Brits and Grammys success, as Styles has in the last week – not to mention his Mercury nod in 2022, too – and if there were, they probably wouldn’t highlight their path to stardom.
Not Styles, who paid tribute to both his former bandmates and the show that made him famous as he accepted the best artist award.
“I want to thank my mum for signing me up for The X Factor without telling me, so I literally wouldn’t be here without you,” he said. “I want to thank Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn because I wouldn’t be here without you either. Thank you so much.”
He also namechecked Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama, Mabel, Florence + The Machine and Becky Hill – all female acts who were eligible to be shortlisted for the prize.
