Brit Awards 2018 recap: a booze-addled, bracingly near-the-knuckle show – but why all the beeping?
The music industry’s annual gong-giving shindig from London’s O2 Arena saw Stormzy steal the show, plenty of production glitches and a hit new host. Here’s the best - and worst - from the ITV broadcast:
Jack Whitehall was the best host in years
The well-spoken stand-up took over as Brit Awards compere and handled this notoriously tough gig with real aplomb. From his opening skit, set to Big Shaq’s novelty grime hit Man’s Not Hot and wearing an outsized puffa jacket - essentially an updated version of Kenny Everett doing Rod Stewart with an ever-growing backside - Whitehall was bracingly near-the-knuckle.
He poked fun at Ed Sheeran’s godawful Galway Girl, Sam Smith being an Adele impersonator and One Direction alumni dominating the male pop landscape. He made cheeky reference to Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby’s enthusastic boozing. He had repeated pops at Olly Murs and The Voice, which are always welcome. He dropped in such social media memes as Jesy from Little Mix’s Jamaican accent and Paul from S Club 7 selling his Brit Award on eBay.
The 29-year-old admitted there had been “some back and forth” with ITV over his script, particularly since the awards kicked off well before the watershed, but it didn’t seem to hold him back. Last year’s show, hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Emma Willis at short notice, was branded dull by some viewers but there was little danger of that here.
Following in the footsteps of James Corden, Peter Kay and Ant 'n' Dec, Whitehall was Mr Bean-ishly gawky, rudely deadpan and genuinely funny. He grew so comfortable that by the end, he was able to joke about how “it's part seven, I’ve slightly checked out”. On the contrary, Whitehall might just have booked himself in for the next few years.
Brit Awards 2018: The night's best moments, in pictures
Stormzy stripped and saved the day
Thank goodness for gangly 24-year-old grime star Stormzy, who stole the show and provided a rousing climax. After a well-deserved double win of Best British Male and Best British Album for Gang Signs & Prayer, he thanked God, his mum, his “#Merky crew” and “the mandem”.
He then triumphantly played us out with what was comfortably the night’s standout performance. First he stood under pouring rain (Health & Safety issues with the electrics, surely?) for a heartfelt Blinded By Your Grace Pt 2, backed by the night’s second gospel choir – this one dressed in the balaclavas of his album cover.
Stormzy then stripped off his soaked shirt for a ferocious bare-chested rendition of Big For Your Boots, complete with updated freestyle lyrics about the Grenfell Tower victims and Daniel Kaluuya’s Bafta win three nights before. It was a blast of pure energy as he prowled the stage, declaring: “South London in the building!” It most certainly was.
Technical beefs have become a Brits tradition
It wouldn’t be the Brits without some production problems - an annual occurrence ever since the Sam Fox/Mick Fleetwood shambles back in 1989.
Hence Whitehall was plunged into darkness on two occasions, Nile Rodgers couldn’t read the autocue and nobody seemed to know who should collect Harry Styles’ prize for Best British Video. Actors Anna Friel and Damian Lewis (a bizarre choice anyway) presented a gong in cringe-makingly stilted style.
Most glitch-ridden of all was the performance by Best International Male winner Kendrick Lamar. The backing track kept restarting like a malfunctioning Bontempi organ. When the Compton rapper’s song Feel finally did kick in, half of it was audio-muted due to beep-worthy language. Quite why it was being censored at 9.50pm, however, was anyone’s guess.
It was like watching the hip-hop Normal Collier. The staging - with Lamar lying above a Lamborghini in a glass case, while cohort Rich The Kid smashed up the supercar with a baseball bat - also baffled viewers. Lamar might have taken a leaf out of Stormzy’s book, who managed to get his impassioned message across without censorship.
Shock shut-out for Ed Sheeran
Having more or less kept the British music business afloat single-handedly last year, Ed Sheeran was widely tipped to be the night’s big winner. However, he was beaten in the flagship categories by Stormzy and Rag’n’Bone Man.
Instead, Sheeran had to settle for the Global Success Award - a token gesture which felt like something of a sympathy gong. The final insult was his great showbiz mate Elton John’s faltering video message from Las Vegas, in which he pronounced his name as “Udd Shi-ran”.
Not a great night for the planet-conquering, carrot-topped troubadour - but at least it stopped the show becoming too predictable.
Hastily rearranged Manchester tribute was well-judged
This was the first Brit Awards since last May’s Manchester Arena attack, so it was only right the atrocity was acknowledged. Ariana Grande was due to anchor a tribute but was forced to pull out late on doctor’s orders.
Luckily, Liam Gallagher stepped (or rather swaggered) in to fill the breach. He was introduced by Take That’s Gary Barlow, who might have sounded like a bored minicab controller but paid worthy tribute, before introducing the anorak-clad former Oasis frontman.
Liam promptly belted out a raw acoustic version of Live Forever, marred only by a cutaway to the insufferable Olly Murs bellowing along and beating his chest in the audience. The anthem's lyrics - “Want to live, don’t want to die / Now is not the time to cry / Now’s the time to find out why” - were affecting yet defiantly anti-sentimental.
The terror victims were also listed on the show’s closing credits, which was a neat touch.
Dua Lipa’s double win didn’t make up for gender inequality
Organisers might have handed out white rose pins in support of the #TimesUp campaign against sexual harassment but there’s still some work to do on this event’s sexist skew.
Stormzy was joined as a double winner by Dua Lipa, who moved up a league with this primetime exposure. Her rendition of New Rules was one of the night’s more splashy pop moments. She sweetly brought her little brother and sister up on-stage, and ended her acceptance speech with a feminist rallying call, thanking “every single female that’s been on this stage before me that has given girls like me – not just in the music industry but in society – something to look up to, and has allowed us to dream this big. Here’s to more women on these stages, more women winning awards and more women taking over the world.”
Without the 22-year-old Brit-Albanian, though, the Brits were in danger of following in the footsteps of the recent Grammys, where they only handed out one major award to a woman. Sure, we had the two Solo Female awards (Lorde was the other winner) but there was a notable dearth of women elsewhere: only two female acts out of ten on the Best Single shortlist, while Dua Lipa was the only woman nominated for Breakthrough Act or Best Album.
For all the backslapping about this being the most inclusive and diverse Brits ever, Dua Lipa was the only female artist to win a category when pitted against men. She was also the only female to perform without roping in a male. Two of the three female performers did so in swimsuits. The BPI have made a concerted effort to tackle gender bias but it clearly hasn’t been enough.
Justin Timberlake got show off to slow start
Backlash-battling Justin Timberlake, fresh from his Super Bowl half-time show, opened proceedings with disco pastiche Midnight Summer Jam, before bringing on beardy country star Chris Stapleton (me neither) for their duet Say Something from his plaid-clad album Man Of The Woods.
Two men with acoustic guitars felt distinctly Flight Of The Conchords. If only this had been a fraction as funny. It was deeply beige and not even bringing on a gospel choir dressed as waiting staff could liven it up. A strange choice which hardly got show off to a flying, infectious start. Besides, shouldn’t the show have opened with a British nominee, rather than an American on no shortlists?
The night’s second live number was 2018 Critics' Choice winner Jorja Smith, dueting with her predecessor Rag’n’Bone Man on stripped-back number Skin. It all made for a downbeat opening to the show. Let’s hope pop kids didn’t reach for the remote too early.
Baftas: take note of the live broadcast
For all its glitches and sags in pacing, the fact that the ceremony was aired almost live - with a mere two-minute delay for beeping purposes - reaped benefits. It not only meant a constant frisson that something controversial could happen, but that the results hadn’t been spoilered and social media could react spontaneously.
The Baftas - which were bafflingly broadcast on BBC One with a two-hour delay last Sunday night - should take note.
Cheryl and Liam added splash of sauce
Gossip columnists’ eyes were on Geordie popstrel Cheryl Cole and former One Directioner Liam Payne for signs their relationship was “in crisis”. Instead, the couple provided one of the night’s most brazen moments.
“Is there a safe word?” Jack Whitehall asked charisma vacuum Payne, in reference to his appearance on the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack. “Don’t stop,” deadpanned Cole, without missing a beat.
Many viewers, though, were busy being distracted by Este “Bass Face” Haim quietly upstaged them by gurning and mouthing “Call me” in the background.
Extra running time was a wise move
This year’s live broadcast ran for 140 minutes, not the traditional 120, meaning the credits rolled at 10.20pm rather than on the hour. This might have made the show feel even more of an epic slog than usual, yet it was a welcome piece of scheduling.
It gave proceedings room to breathe, made it less of a logistical scramble and prevented a repeat of the Adelegate farce in 2012, when red-faced host James Corden was forced to interrupt her Best Album acceptance speech so ITV could go over to the newsroom in time for the 10 o’clock bongs. Cue Adele flicking the middle finger and organisers being forced to apologise.
The closest we came to that this time was cutting off Gorillaz, which was a blessing.
All a bit of a Blur for Damon Albarn
It was slim pickings in the Best British Group category (what no Little Mix?) but when cartoon combo Gorillaz won, it provided a textbook awkward Brits moment.
Damon Albarn, who turns 50 next month, led up the band’s human members and delivered the night’s most booze-addled speech, slurring: “Don’t let this country become cut off and isolated, alright?” Right you are, Damo.
Other members then chipped in, without most viewers knowing who they were (it was Little Simz and Savages’ Jehnny Beth, fact fans). All rather embarrassing before their mics were mercifully switched off. Cut to host Jack Whitwhall stage-whispering: “I think he was talking about Brexit.”