Issue of the day: Brit Awards aren’t showing their age

THE Brit Awards have, by their own admission, been “breaking rules” for the past 40 years. But, despite the music awards’ transition into middle age, this year’s ceremony felt less like a 40th birthday (at least, until Sir Rod showed up) and more like a coming-of-age moment for the next generation.

What were the highlights?

This year’s ceremony has been widely hailed as the most exciting in decades. Rising star award winner Celeste gave an incredible vocal performance, Lizzo treated a UK audience to an energetic medley of her greatest hits (so far) and Mabel offered a slickly cheorgraphed rendition of radio favourite Don’t Call Me Up.

There were emotional and political moments, too. South London rapper Dave has accused Boris Johnson of being a racist as he performed Black, a freestyle track which charts the difficulties of being black in Britain.

He added a newly written final verse that began: “It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our prime minister’s a real racist / They say – ‘you should be grateful, we’re the least racist’ / I say the least racist is still racist.”

Then there was Billie Ellish.

Billie who?

Come on, now. Her music might not mean much to anyone who remembers life before the internet but the 18-year-old has made a meteoric rise to global stardom.

Over the past 12 months, she has gone to writing songs in her bedroom with her brother to penning the theme for the upcoming Bond film – which she performed on Tuesday night.

Any drawbacks?

Just one British female artist, Mabel, was considered worthy of inclusion in the categories where both men and women compete, though Brits boss Geoff Taylor insisted that men simply had a better year.

Anyone flying the flag for Scotland?

Lewis Capaldi didn’t so much fly the flag so much as wave a bottle of Buckfast. He was one of the show’s more typical commercial success stories but his selfdeprecating jokes and toilet humour are a world away from most pop stars.

Accepting the award for best single, the 23-year-old thanked his mum and dad “for making love”, before awkwardly dedicating the prize to his late grandmother, who inspired the song: “Thanks to my grandmother... I guess, for dying.”

Anyone over the age of 30?

The majority of the evening may have been dedicated to the young ‘uns but it was elder statesman Rod Stewart who closed the show.

“This show may be 40 years old, but the Faces are 50 years old,” Stewart said, introducing the fellow two surviving members Ronnie Wood and Kenny Jones.

What’s the takeaway?

Pop music is – as it has always been, really – a young person’s game (for those wondering, the average age of a Brit Award winner in 2020 was 24).

Many of the British nominees have broken the record industry’s stranglehold on the charts, with AJ Tracey, D-block Europe and Dave all releasing their music independently.

But we’re in good hands. This year’s kids are more than alright.