Katy’s roaring night out with stars after Brits
KATY PERRY, Ellie Goulding and Noel Gallagher were among the stars who partied into the night after the Brit Awards.
After Robbie Williams brought the annual extravaganza at the O2 Arena to a close, the winners and nominees headed to bashes across the city.
At Universal Music’s afterparty, hosted by Soho House at 180 The Strand, Perry and Goulding took to the decks with Nick Grimshaw to DJ for guests. Perry was seen making a beeline for Bastille’s Dan Smith. An onlooker said: “She was very flirty with him and was telling him how much of a big fan she was. But Dan was simply being polite.”
Other guests included James Arthur, Nicole Scherzinger and DJs Sara Cox and Clara Amfo — who also took to the decks. Emeli Sandé, who celebrated her best British female award by dancing until the early hours, said: “I was very surprised to win, especially with such a tough category.”
The surprise attendees were Jedward, who turned up and were mobbed by people inside asking for self- rap during Ed Sheeran’s meek Shape Of You was a welcome surprise, Skepta’s incendiary performance of Shutdown was heavily disrupted by muting for TV despite the fact that 9pm had passed.
In a reversal of the Mercury prize’s decision last year that David Bowie would have wanted the award to go to Skepta, here the late legend beat the Tottenham rapper to both the British male and album of the year trophies. ies. The twins had earlier been refused entry to the Warner Music after-party, held at Freemasons’ Hall, where Dermot O’Leary took to the decks.
The presenter, who co-hosted with Emma Willis after Michael Bublé pulled out following his son’s diagnosis with cancer, said: “We were just filling in really and wanted to do a good job in his honour.”
Other guests included Wiley, Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, Abbey Clancy, Emma Bunton, Holly Willoughby, Caro- The actor Michael C Hall, who plays the star in his musical Lazarus, accepted the award on his behalf and pointed out: “If David Bowie could be here tonight, he probably wouldn’t be here.”
Bowie was matched as a double winner by a singer at the opposite end of his career — Rag’n’Bone Man, who had already been named critics’ choice. Surely no one has ever won two Brits as quickly as the former Rory Graham, whose debut album Human was released less than a fortnight ago and has already gone gold. Giving him the British breakthrough award over Skepta, however, was mildly controversial, as was the decision to chuck international prizes at Beyoncé and A Tribe Called Quest in passing, without even naming the nominees or letting them do a little video. It was strange to have to turn to Katy Perry GEORGE MICHAEL’S boyfriend hit out at his critics as the late singer was celebrated at the Brits. Tributes included an emotional speech from Michael’s former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley and backing singers, known as Pepsi & Shirlie. Michael’s boyfriend, Fadi Fawaz, tweeted during the night that those who had criticised him should say sorry. “Anyone (who) doubted my love to George will be apologising very soon. It’s a fact,” he wrote.
line Flack and Brooklyn Beckham, with his arm still in a sling following a snowboarding accident in Canada. Gallagher and his wife Sara MacDonald joined Craig David and Simon Cowell at Sony Music’s party at Aqua Shard. David lost out to David Bowie for best male solo artist — his 13th nomination and first since 2006 — but said of taking his parents to the ceremony: “That was the most important thing for me.” for the most danger. While everyone else stoically ignored the wider world — apart from something vague about “social issues” from The 1975 — she produced giant skeleton puppets of Donald Trump and Theresa May and thrust a sense of impending doom into the back-slapping. On the offchance we’re all still around for the Brits 2018, maybe a British rapper will finally win one.