Associate Editor Tom Bryant believes the Brit Awards should move to Manchester permanently after a barnstorming show full of highlights – except one glaring misstep
So what was the verdict about the first Manchester-held Brit Awards from my seat among the slew of celebrity tables? From Harry Styles’ incredible frenzied opener to Rosalia’s barnstorming performance, it was beyond well-received. In fact it’s fair to say it beat London’s efforts in hosting the show hands down.
And the celebs on the top tables nestled by the side of the stage agreed. Time and time again I caught sight of stars such as Maya Jama on their feet having a whale of a time. Bosses had clearly pulled out all the stops to ensure it was a night to remember with some of the names signed up . Dua Lipa, a surprise performance from Bjork, Robbie Williams, RAYE, Olivia Dean….it was a stellar line up.
And we had emotional moments too with Tim Burgess paying a moving tribute to his mate Mani, and Sharon and Kelly Osbourne clearly moved by the outpouring of love towards Ozzy. The big screens showing tender Osbourne family montages during Robbie’s performance brought a tear to the eye.
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The predominantly Mancunian crowd made a huge difference. In fact they were responsible for some of the biggest talking points as Noel Gallagher was hit with mass booing after saying “up the f****** Blues”. Despite the Co-Op Live being situated right next to the Etihad Stadium, a video of Man City manager Pep Guardiola was met with the same response. And they even hilariously took issue with Kelly Osbourne who was jeered after heralding Ozzy’s team Aston Villa’s team on stage. Jack Whitehall was back in the hotseat as presenter and firing on all cylinders – with well-judged potshots at BAFTA’s race debacle, as well as Andy Burnham.
There was only one misstep all night – and it came right at the end. Sombr’s performance of Back to Friends in a hot pink suit saw a “stage invader” interrupt his performance and push him off the podium, with security then dragging him away. Certainly from where I was sitting, people were genuinely startled, and worried it was a security breach. This was a view only reinforced by the ferocity of the response by the security who appeared to come in charging.
It certainly brought the mood crashing down. We couldn’t see at the time but the unidentified man then turned around to reveal a t-shirt that read ‘Sombr is a homewrecker’. And I was soon reassured by organisers that it was very much a stunt. It was totally out of sync with the joyous, upbeat nature of the evening, and left a sour taste in the mouth. That aside, the night was a triumph. BRITs bosses have signed a two year deal for the awards to be held in Manchester. After last night’s showing, maybe they should make it permanent…
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