Brits 2022: Six biggest talking points, from Anne-Marie’s fall to Adele’s triumph
Ceremony attended by stars including Adele, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher and Maya Jama took place at the O2 Arena
Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music
Get our Now Hear This email for free
The annual Brit Awards ceremony took place at the O2 Arena in London tonight (Tuesday 8 February).
Some of the biggest names in music attended, including Ed Sheeran and Adele, who scooped prizes for Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year, respectively.
Mo Gilligan served as this year’s host, taking over from Jack Whitehall who presented the awards for the past four consecutive years.
There was drama early on in the night, as pop singer Anne-Marie took a tumble during the first moments of her performance.
Here are the biggest talking points from the night:
It didn’t get off to a great start for the “Alarm” singer. Just seconds into her performance of “Don’t Play”, she lost her footing walking down some stairs and twisted awkwardly to the floor to the gasp of the crowd. She never let it phase her and carried on singing throughout the floor and the crowd roared her back to her feet. She later joked on Twitter that she “didn’t need my left ankle anyway”. It wouldn’t be the Brits without something going awry.
Mo Gilligan is a fine if subdued host
Replacing Jack Whitehall, Mo Gilligan was always given a daunting task and struggled to put his own signature stamp on the ceremony. Whereas Whitehall was able to needle the stars with a degree of self-awareness, Gilligan played it safe. He made sure everything ran smoothly at the notoriously boozy do – but a little bit of anarchy wouldn’t have hurt. His high point was a spot-on impression of Liam Gallagher, complete with parka.
Adele is still Queen of the Brits
It’s as though she never went away. Just minutes into the event and Adele picked up the gong for Song of the Year. She kept the speech uncharacteristically short, but did manage to squeeze in a few jokes. “I can’t believe a piano ballad beat all those bangers,” she cracked, as she overcame the likes of Elton John, Dua Lipa and KSI to win the award. She reappeared later in the night for a beautifully heartfelt performance of “I Drink Wine” that brought the crowd to an awed silence, before also going home with Artist of the Year and Album of the Year.
Ed Sheeran collaborates with Bring Me the Horizon
Tasked with opening the show, Sheeran had a trick up his sleeve from the start, performing alongside emo rockers Bring Me the Horizon with frontman Oli Sykes joining him on vocals for a duet of “Bad Habits”. Accompanied by a menagerie of circus performers – including acrobats and trapeze artists – the two acts put a heavier spin on Sheeran’s synth-inspired hit. The collaboration went down pretty well online, with one fan tweeting: “Ed Sheeran and Bring Me the Horizon is a mix I did not know I needed.”
Little Simz triumphs in her Brits debut
Picking up Best New Artist despite releasing her debut album seven years ago, it was a night to remember for Little Simz as she accepted her first Brit award alongside her beaming mother. “Look at what you’ve done, mum,” she says as she holds the award aloft. It was a victory for perseverance and self-belief and remarkable talent. Earlier in the night, Simz ignited the ceremony with a gripping performance of “Introvert”, which included a little help from The Crown star Emma Corrin who narrated a spoken word interlude.
The presenters are an odd bunch
A couple of Cox’s (Brian and Courteney), Mo Farah and Doctor Who herself, Jodie Whittaker all somehow ended up presenting awards at the Brits. Most surprising of all was Logan Roy himself turning up to present Ed Sheeran with his Songwriter of the Year award. The Succession star suavely strut across the stage much to the delight and bewilderment of the audience – the only let down was that he didn’t give Sheeran a hurling of Roy’s famous catchphrase.
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
While everyone’s attention was focused mostly on the music, fans couldn’t help but spot a new addition to Adele’s jewellery collection. Sporting an impossible to ignore diamond ring on a certain finger, social media quickly went ablaze with speculation that the “Easy on Me” singer had gotten engaged to her boyfriend, sports agent, Rich Paul.
The liveblog is now closed. See the full list of winners here.
Because it’s Adele, and she’s performing tonight as well as being up for four awards, what better opportunity to revisit her incredible 2011 Brits debut, where she sang “Someone Like You”?
We’ve got just under 10 minutes to go before the live ceremony gets underway! Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform? And more importantly, who do you want to win?!
Adele at the Brits: Remembering her astonishing ‘Someone Like You’ performance at the 2011 Brit Awards
Adele will take to the stage at the 2022 Brit Awards tonight (Tuesday 8 February), where she’ll perform her hit single “Easy On Me”.
The song is nominated for Best British Song at this year’s ceremony – just one of four nominations for the singer. Her comeback record 30 is a strong contender to win Best British Album.
Adele has a long history at the Brits. She first appeared at the ceremony all the way back in 2008, making a guest appearance with Mark Ronson to cover Coldplay’s “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” – part of a medley which also saw Amy Winehouse sing “Valerie”.
Remembering Adele’s astonishing 2011 Brits performance
As Adele prepares to perform at the 2022 Brits, we look back at her staggering solo debut at the awards show in 2011.
Ed Sheeran performs Bad Habits with Bring Me the Horizon
Ed Sheeran is shaking things up from the very beginning, with a roaring rendition of his single “Bad Habits” with rock band Bring Me the Horizon! My lovely new colleague Nicole (say hi everyone!) is at the scene and says it’s sounding great.
Here’s the winners list – keep an eye on it as we’ll be updating it through the night
Read about Sam Fender’s big plans for after the Brits here:
The pop singer made an entrance from inside a giant heart on stage at the Brit Awards however she appeared to fall as she made her way down.
Anne-Marie took a tumble as she descended a flight of steps during a performance with rapper KSI and Digital Farm Animals.
Liam Gallagher performs at the O2 Arena
It’s Liam Gallagher, ladies and gentleman, performing his new single “Everything’s Electric”.
Here’s the full story on that awkward Anne-Marie fall! Hope she’s doing alright now, it was a great recovery.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies