It was the Brit Awards that saw Harry Styles on stage accepting awards for something like half the night – but while he dominated the 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, moved from a school night presumably to get more people up for the party, 2023 show featured some standout performances – take a bow, Sam Smith and Kim Petras – as well as the usual mix of at least one awkward acceptance speech and an awkward exchange between presenters on stage.
Stylewho kicked things off with his hit song As It Was, won all four of the awards he was nominated for – Best Pop/RnB Act, Best Artist, Best Song and Best Album – while Wet foot and Beyonce were the other big ones Brit Awards winners and Becky Hill, Aitch and The 1975 also picked up awards.
But awards aren’t just about awards.
Morris also dances an Arctic Monkeys flashback
Was this Morris’ first dance performance in the British? If not, it was certainly the first to also feature dancers dressed as bulky owls.
Well done, Wet Leg, for putting on an unforgettable show.
The band also picked up the awards for Best New Artist and Best Group – and it reminded us all of that infamous Alex Turner speech from 2014 when Arctic Monkeys took home the awards for Best Album and Best Group.
“That rock’n’roll, huh? That rock’n’roll, it just won’t go away. It might hibernate from time to time and sink back into the swamp…” said singer Rhian Teasdale, laughing as she went on to thank all the women involved in making their debut album: “But seriously, thank you so much. That’s so scary because being on network TV can be such a boy thing.”
The most memed outfit award goes to…
Aside from Bjork’s swan dress, Celine Dion’s tuxedo, and a select few others, fashion at TV and film awards tends to be more glam, less out there. Not so at the Grammys and the Brits, where music stars show that all you need to do is stand out by any means necessary.
This year, American singer and rapper Ashnikko created an alien-like second skin, while the Nova Twins created 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 the most talked about social media…
Serious sting
And speaking of Sam Smith, their performance of the hit song Unholy with Kim Petras was the highlight of the night, reminding us all of the star’s beautiful and soulful vocals.
But it’s not just the voice that people will remember – thanks to two lovelorn dancers who closed the set with some very heavy strumming over a car bonnet.
Goulding and Grennan
Ellie Goulding wore what can only be described as a bustier to present an award alongside Tom Grennan, who made a rather awkward comment on stage – seemingly forgetting it’s not the 1990s anymore.
Technical problems
Near the end of the ceremony, host Mo Gilligan was forced to apologize for “technical difficulties” – which meant viewers were shown archive footage of Adele at last year’s ceremony while they settled down.
It’s not clear what was going on behind the scenes, or if anything had to be cut, but there seemed to be plenty of padding.
And it came after some mishaps with the mute button, which failed to fully censor some of the more profane speech.
Sorry, Lewis
Gilligan also had a nightmare introducing performer and former Brit winner Lewis Capaldi, accidentally calling him Sam Capaldi.
He later joked about his mistake, saying that British drinks are “extremely strong”.
Don’t worry, Mo. We’re sure Lewis probably didn’t even notice…
Baby bumps
After announcing she was pregnant in Januaryhaving previously suffered a miscarriage and fertility issues, Jessie J proudly showed off her baby bump on the British red carpet, accessorizing with red lace and ruffles.
Singer Kamille also showed off her bump, dressed in turquoise satin.
Thanks, One Direction
Okay, we’ll mention Styles, finally. Not for his four awards, but for his thanks.
There can’t be many former reality stars who go on to score Brits and Grammys like Styles did last week—not to mention Mercury’s nod in 2022, too—and if there were, they probably wouldn’t be pointing it out. their path to the star.
Not Styles, who paid tribute to both his former bandmates and the show that made him famous as he accepted the award for Best Artist.
“I want to thank my mum for signing me up for X Factor without telling me, so I literally wouldn’t be here without you,” she said. “I want to thank Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn because I wouldn’t be here without you either. Thank you so much.”
She also name-checked Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama, Mabel, Florence + The Machine and Becky Hill – all female acts eligible to be shortlisted for the award.