BRIT AWARDS 2012 Held at the 02 Academy in London, The BRIT Awards took place for the 32nd time on Tuesday 21st February. The BRITs are the biggest music awards ceremony in the UK, yearly rewarding British and international artists. This year held tributes to Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston, and produced impressive live performances from the likes of Coldplay, Florence & the Machine, Blur and Adele. Amy Collins & Niamh Connolly take a look at this year's winners.
SINGLES Vision gives the low down on the singles everyone is talking about...
King Charles - 'Love Blood' British Male Solo Artist & British BreakThrough Act - Ed Sheeran Newcomer Ed Sheeran was the most nominated artist of the night and achieved two awards. Ed, whose debut album + combines guitar melodies with hip-hop lyrics, triumphed over chart rival Jessie J to win 'British Breakthrough Act'. The singer-songwriter’s success continued when he was named 'Best British Male', despite stiff competition from Professor Green, James Morrison, Noel Gallagher and James Blake. The ‘Drunk’ singer also took to the O2 stage, where he performed a stripped back but stunning rendition of his hit single ‘Lego House’. The 21 year old described the ceremony as "one of the best nights of my life."
Best Album Adele, 21 Fresh from her six-gong win at the Grammys, Adele made a triumphant return at the 2012 BRITs,where she was awarded in the most competitive category, 'British Album of the Year'. The 23 year old Brit School graduate was the first winner of the night when she won the 'Best British Female' award over former class-mate Jessie J, as well as Laura Marling and Kate Bush, and thanked her record label "for letting me be the kind of artist I wanted to be." Despite tough competition from Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Florence & The Machine and P J Harvey, she deservedly won the 'British Album of the Year'.
Best British Group Coldplay The group, who released their chart-topping fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto last October, won the prestigious award over rivals Arctic Monkeys, Elbow, Chase & Status and Kasabian. This is the third 'British Group' award that Coldplay have achieved, giving the band a total of seven BRIT Awards. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin graciously dedicated the award to "everyone who listens to us." Coldplay justified their status of 'Best British Group' with their strong opening performance of ‘Charlie Brown’ at the 32nd ceremony. They provided a colourful visual effect and were deserved winners on the night.
Outstanding Contribution To Music Blur Legendary Britpop band Blur picked up the prestigious award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Music' at the 2012 BRITs. Despite their recent revelation that they previously declined the award, whose previous winners include the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Oasis, the band closed the show with an epic performance of some of their greatest hits, and the longest set in the history of the awards show. Blur were joined by comedian Phil Daniels for their rendition of ‘Parklife’, and were accompanied by a full gospel choir for Tender’, before ending their set with ‘This Is A Low’.
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t is impossible to dislike the wonderfully moustached, modernday-Shakespeare, King Charles. His songs are fuelled with energy and character; ‘Love Blood’ is no different. Listen to ‘Bam Bam’ and ‘Love Lust’ to get a feel for the eccentric vibe that he emits, it’s clear to see ‘Love Blood’ follows this distinctive trait. The track begins with a heavy modern riff and the female backing singers contribute to a '50s melodious sound that is reminiscent of the Grease pink ladies. I confess it’s a simple concept; ‘I’ve got love in my blood and I got you on my brain’, lyrically, is not poetically overwhelming, but they are immediately rewarding, which is all part of the enthrallment. NIAMH CONNOLLY
The Fray - 'Heartbeat'
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he first single from their third album Scars & Stories is an inspirational track. With a style comparable to the best hits of Coldplay, its passionate lyrics and powerful music capture the emotions of the listener. I would contend that it is their best release since 'How to Save a Life', although this is not reflected in the charts; it reached only number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and didn’t even break into the UK Top 100. The music video is also a must see, reminding us how down to earth this band is. JOHN DAVIES
Pinkunoizu - 'Parabolic Delusions'
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Critics Choice The 'Critics' Choice' is the most recent category that the BRITS have created. The first was awarded to Adele, who beat Duffy to receive the highly acclaimed award in 2008. The award has boosted the careers of Florence & the Machine, who debuted her new single 'No Light, No Light' at this year's ceremony, as well as Ellie Goulding and Jessie J, who has just been announced as a judge on new talent show The Voice. It is one of the most prestigious awards in the industry as it is not judged by popularity, but rather, as the title suggests, by critics, making it a unique and sought after award. Emeli Sandé was announced as the winner at the 2012 BRITS. The former medical student's album Our Version Of Events, which features the hit single ‘Heaven’, recently reached No. 1 in the UK charts. It beat fellow shortlisted artists Maverick Sabre and the wonderful rising star, Michael Kiwanuka, to the award. Emeli has described winning this BRIT award so early in her career as being "beyond a dream come true."
he latest offering from the Danish quartet includes an upbeat vocal introduction and combines futuristic effects with a rapid beat to create a song that cannot fail to improve your mood. The song is assisted by the intelligent removal and addition of instrumental layers, allowing the guitars in particular to be more impactful. The low tone of vocalist Andreas Pallisgaard makes the melody easy on the ear whilst the chorus harmonies complement each other well. The combination of effects and instruments are refreshing and should appeal particularly to those who enjoy folk music and soft rock. WILL BARNES.
White Rabbits - 'Heavy Metal'
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aving experienced the delights of 'Percussion Gun' and 'Kid on my Shoulders' from their previous albums; both very good efforts, it must be said that I had relatively high expectations for 'Heavy Metal', a track from their new album Milk Famous. Unfortunately, my hopes were short-lived. From start to finish the lyrics were bland and the music monotonous. Its failure to reach a climax was accompanied by my rapid loss of interest. I must also question the music video, which appears to be promoting drug use. JOHN DAVIES