Brit Awards 2016: Booze, Bieber and Bowie

Against all odds, I managed to score tickets for one of the biggest music events of the year! From a very young age, I watched the Brit Awards on the TV with my dad – but this year we’d be watching it live at the O2 Arena in London! Despite the nosebleed-inducing seats, the view was spectacular, and so was the ceremony, celebrating the very best of British talent.

This past year was one of the biggest years in British music, seeing the passing of icon David Bowie, the return of Adele, the endless chart-topping success of Jess Glynne, the split of One Direction, and the last ever Coldplay record. Alongside a host of big performers from around the world (Rihanna, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber), this laid the foundations for a terrific night ahead.

Upon arrival at the O2, there was a great amount of excitement in the air – not just from the audience with tickets, but also the artists, their labels, and their management teams who had spent the whole year working to this point, hoping that a coveted Brit award could be in sight. Observing from above the spherical stages, floating light structures, and hundreds of glistening red tables full of talented musicians and celebrities was surreal. It was a truly spectacular view that TV cannot do justice.

Chris Martin’s vocals were somewhat flat initially, the instrumental from the rest of the band was perfection throughout, and the stunning production made it a great opening performance.

With a beer and a bottle of wine in hand, it was show time. Kickstarting the night was an eccentric dance troop dressed as red Brit statues strutting around to booming music and strobe lighting, welcoming Ant and Dec to their presenting duties. Then the real music began. Coldplay took to the stage to perform ‘Hymn For The Weekend’ with a multi-coloured flower backdrop, flamethrowers, flying confetti and rainbow visuals on hanging screens. While Chris Martin’s vocals were somewhat flat initially, the instrumental from the rest of the band was perfection throughout, and the stunning production made it a great opening performance. Thereafter came the first award of the night. Adele had won the first of her four nominations, British Female Solo Artist, which saw her publicly announce her support for pop artist Kesha during her acceptance speech.

Following that win came a wave of high-pitched cries and screams for none other than Justin Bieber. Now, I must admit, I had low expectations, but he proved me wrong. With a random appearance from James Bay, Bieber started with a simple acoustic rendition of ‘Love Yourself’, which led to a fiery (not metaphorical) performance of ‘Sorry’, full of pyrotechnics and half-hearted dance moves, reminding everyone once more that Bieber has really brought the bangers this past year, and they come alive in an arena environment. The winner for British Male was then announced – well-deserved by James Bay, who had a fantastic year releasing a pretty good debut album, playing endless live dates around the world, and performing a superb afternoon slot at Glastonbury. Equally-deserving were the winners of Best International Group: the glorious Tame Impala, who released one of the best albums of the last year. The moment they won this award, I jumped out of my seat in pride. It was one of many surprises of the night, given the tough competition from the likes of U2 and Major Lazer.

British Breakthrough winners, Catfish and the Bottlemen, were the weakest of the bunch of nominees.

However, some were not so lucky. After a gorgeous, show-stopping live medley of ‘Ain’t Got Far To Go’, ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself’ and ‘Hold My Hand’ by Jess Glynne (that once more reminded everyone just how many hits she has), Glynne was unfortunately snubbed for British Breakthrough. The winners, Catfish and the Bottlemen, were the weakest of the bunch of nominees, especially when compared also to the recent success of both Wolf Alice and Years & Years. Nonetheless, the night continued with unsurprising wins by Coldplay, who took home Best Group, Justin Bieber, who won best International Male, and a second win for Adele with Best Single.

Then came the night’s next three surprises. Rihanna finally made it to perform at a music event. And not only that, but she was accompanied by American rapper SZA to perform a snippet of album track ‘Consideration’. Trailing from this came the subtle electronics of latest single ‘Work’, when none other than Drake (YES, DRAKE!) came on stage to be grinded by Rihanna whilst humming his soulful vocals to an ensemble of audience screams. I must admit, I honestly lost my sh*t a little bit. It was just incredible. The whole thing was just so expectedly ratchet and unexpectedly well executed.

The night subsequently continued with its fifth surprise, as Adele took to the stage to receive the Global Success Award.  At this moment (while it could have been the booze talking), I felt an overwhelming sense of emotion and pride for how much she has achieved. With Adele on stage crying (and quite possibly pissed), genuinely shocked about how many records she has broken in just a few months, things were put into perspective of just how great British music is at the moment; artists as talented as her are gaining international respect and acclaim for their craft.

With Adele on stage crying (and quite possibly pissed), genuinely shocked about how many records she has broken in just a few months, things were put into perspective of just how great British music is at the moment

Following Bjork’s worthy win for Best International Female, it was time for yet another surprise. The tribute for David Bowie was incredibly touching, with Annie Lennox and Gary Oldman showing a great deal of respect for the icon. But the surprise element for me, personally, was when one of my all-time favourite singers did the second best performance of the night, instantly making the night worth it in just three minutes. New Zealand’s finest Lorde performed a humble rendition of ‘Life on Mars’ alongside Bowie’s band. I started crying at this point. I got to see an artist that I’ve wanted to see for years paying respect to one of the best musicians of my lifetime.

This high point was followed by another undeserving win, this time for One Direction who won Best Artist Video. However, a performance by another artist I love lifted my mood. The Weeknd’s soulful vocals and thumping bass of ‘The Hills’ echoed throughout the arena, creating yet another highlight, especially as my dad decided that he now loved The Weeknd too! Also noteworthy was Little Mix’s fluorescent-covered, tribal-drummed, pop star performance of ‘Black Magic’ that got the audience on their feet singing along to one of the catchiest singles of the year.

The Brit Awards 2016 was a rollercoaster of emotions, and one of my lifetime highlights.

As the night began to close, it was time for the biggest award of the night: the coveted MasterCard Album of the Year. Having won three awards already, was Adele going to win again? Of course she was, and not just because she is Adele, but also because ‘25’ was the best record nominated, and the most important release of the last year. After this glorious win, Adele took to the stage to perform the sensational ‘When We Were Young’. It was truly a moment; the whole arena was in awe, mesmerised by the vocals of an artist who is the epitome of a raw British talent, an artist who truly deserved to go home with four awards. All in all, the Brit Awards 2016 was a rollercoaster of emotions, and one of my lifetime highlights. My father and I felt astoundingly lucky to have been in attendance.