Almost as good as the real thing: The Brits were a hopeful glimpse of brighter horizons

Given the circumstances and with the help of Jack Whitehall, Dua Lipa and co, last night’s ceremony was a genuine success, writes Annabel Nugent. But with so many video-streamed performances, the Brits failed to show how live music will work in 2021

Dua Lipa won over the crowd with a five-minute medley of her greatest hits (John Marshall)

They tried their best. Given our 14-month-old pandemic and the constant safety rigmarole it demands, this year’s Brits really did give it their all. The packed, unmasked, socially distanced crowd of essential workers at The O2 last night looked almost normal. Almost.

It was most likely a result of the event’s reduced capacity, but on a night that saw women artists including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks and Little Mix dominate, it was a cherry-on-top to also witness the usually chaotic venue operate like a slickly oiled machine. Witnessing easy, speedy, contact-free admin unfold was weirdly satisfying. That’s what pandemic life does to you: it makes you appreciate the little things, like an abundance of hand-sanitising stations and masks readily available in case you lose yours.

Removing masks feels so wrong, people giggled to one another. Wearing a face covering was mandatory in the arena’s communal areas – the lobby, escalators, hallways, loos – but once guests took their seats, it was fair game to take them off. Seeing the mouths of so many strangers up close felt admittedly strange, but everyone could rest assured that it was safe. After all, attendees had to prove a negative result from a lateral flow test in the previous 72 hours to gain admission, and the first of two mandatory PCR tests had already been taken (the second, we were instructed, is to be used five days after the event). Last night’s 4,500-person party wasn’t illegal; it was government-endorsed! Like the rambunctious club night in Liverpool last month, the 2021 Brits were part of the ongoing programme for the safe restart of mass-participation events – though that didn’t quite equate to business as usual.