Highlights of the BRIT Awards 2014 at the O2

Born way back in 1977, the annual BRIT Awards has showcased the best of British Pop music each year for over three decades – and it’s arguably the biggest and best night of the year in London. The 20,000-capacity O2 was bubbling over with excitement, housing the biggest names in music from Pharrell Williams to Beyonce, from Arctic Monkeys to Prince. Here are our highlights from the night:

 1. Beyonce

Emerging in a turquoise sequin dress as the queen of all mermaids, Beyonce’s mere appearance stunned every living being in the arena. Mid-way through her performance of XO she requested that we help her sing, as if she needed any kind of assistance. We tried.

2. Mash-ups

We were treated to Bastille and Rudimental aka “Bastimental” performing a mash-up of Pompeii and Waiting All Night, which worked surprisingly well (“Tell me tell me right now…does it almost feel like you’ve been here before”). Then there was Lorde and Disclosure performing a remix of Royals and White Noise, and to top everything off, Pharrell Williams drowning in his Vivienne Westwood fedora (the “crushed coke can” hat) performing a medley of Get Lucky, Good Times and Happy with the legendary Nile Rodgers.

3. Award presenting

The likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Prince (!!!) were on hand to present the 2014 BRIT Awards. Jimmy Carr remarked this was the “busiest night of the year…for London’s drug dealers” and in true British style, Noel Gallagher awarded David Bowie with Best British Male, which was personally collected by Kate Moss wearing Bowie’s ACTUAL Ziggy Stardust costume. 

4.“Hurry Styles”

The Global Success Award of course went to One Direction, this being the second time they’ve won. The 1D boys looked suave as ever and clambered on to the stage with a temporarily crutch-bound Niall Horan. But where was Harry Styles? “Having a wee”, apparently.

5.“Alex Gurner”

Arctic Monkey’s frontman Alex Turner attracted criticism for his arrogance and nonchalance at this year’s Brits, despite making history by being the first British band to have won British Album and Best British Group awards three times. Turner then made a slightly intoxicated, bizarrely philosophical speech on “that rock ‘n roll” (earning him the nickname “Alex Gurner”) while fellow mortified band mates stood behind attempting to keep straight faces. Best Sound Engineer award goes to whoever managed to kill the microphone before Turner dropped it in true “rock ‘n roll” style.

Winners:

Best British Male Solo Artist: David Bowie

Best British Female Solo Artist: Ellie Goulding 

Best British Group: Arctic Monkeys

Best International Male Solo Artist: Bruno Mars

Best International Female Solo Artist: Lorde

Best International Group: Daft Punk

MasterCard British Album of the Year: Arctic Monkeys – AM

British Breakthrough Act: Bastille

Critics’ Choice: Sam Smith

Global Success Award: One Direction

British Single: Rudimental – Waiting All Night feat. Ella Eyre

Best British Video of the Year: One Direction – Best Song Ever

Gemma Whitfield 

For further information about the BRIT Awards visit here.