Brit awards 2023: Harry Styles wins artist of the year and best pop/R&B act – follow it live

Even hearing a snippet of Arctic Monkeys’s lush, orchestral latest album among the best group nominees makes your head spin – it’s so different to everything else nominated and everything else in the charts right now.

Group of the year: Wet Leg

Laura Snapes

Wet Leg appear to be locked in a debate about who is going to say something. One of the hairy boys takes the mic (I don’t know who any of them are, no one does).

“This is crazy. I promised Rhian I would say this: they build small ships and they build big ships. But they don’t build friendships! This is really cool, thanks very much. I don’t know what else to say, I’m gonna pass the mic!”

Teasdale takes over as Chambers looks too embarrassed to even face forward: “Big shoutout to Lava La Rue who creative-directed the show tonight!”

Clearly some swearing happened as the sound got scrambled and the scene cut quickly. Intriguing!

Both a revealing category and a genuinely quite exciting one. Usually it’s a split between the prevailing girl/boyband of the day and the Real Music Men. But girl and boybands as we knew them are in a dormant state for now (the budding Flo, this year’s Rising Star winners, look to change that), and the five nominees here all do something pretty different from one another: omnivorous, streaming-era pop (the 1975), lounge lizard haze (Arctic Monkeys, now Brits elder statesmen), filthy Bradford bassline (Bad Boy Chiller Crow), seething heavy rock with a winning personality (Nova Twins) and classic indie rock in victors Wet Leg.

In eye-watering news, this is only the fourth time a band comprising or featuring women has ever won this award: Wet Leg succeed Wolf Alice (2022), Little Mix (2021) and Romford sibling group Five Star (1987), who I had never heard of until today and I bet did good business on the Never Mind the Buzzcocks Identity Parade section.

International group: Fontaines DC

Laura Snapes

Most of the band are in Australia, as they helpfully tell us in a VT from Australia, standing in front of the Sydney Opera House. Clearly, their one man in the room, Carlos O’Connell, wasn’t sat in a prime spot as it takes him ages to reach the stage – but then he gives possibly the most heartwarming speech of the night!

“Feels lonely up here! My manager called me about a week ago and she was all like, ‘Y’know you’re going to the Brits next week on your own, make an effort, dress well, have a nice suit’, and I was like, what’s she trying to say to me? Don’t tell me i’m winning, I don’t wanna do this on my own!

“I’m on my own ‘cos the boys are in Australia enjoying this massive tour and I had to step out ‘cos I am having my first kid in 10 days, it’s a little girl and my heart is fuller than ever. Bringing new life into this world and making sure that life is full of joy, even though everything seems hard and difficult … there’s not much hope left but I think we can bring that into kids and it just fills my heard. i’m happy to be here to celebrate that – and a friendship. To the boys, you’re not here, you’re my best friends in the world and I love ya!”

I’m not crying, you are! This is tonight’s “Bonny Bear” moment: bring on the Sun explainers about WHO the Irish five-piece are and WHAT they are all about tomorrow morning. For the Blinks, Fontaines DC beating their beloved Blackpink will be 2023’s version of the controversy over Belle and Sebastian beating Steps to best British group at the 1999 Brit awards (one they definitely won’t remember having largely not been born at the time – though for anyone looking to catch up, our Michael Cragg’s superb forthcoming millennium pop oral history book Reach for the Stars revisits the outcry in comic detail). At the risk of sounding a bit “that rock’n’roll eh”, it’s quite heartening to see the musically ambitious and self-searching band win over Drake and 21 Savage (absolutely not a “group”), First Aid Kit (bit boring, let’s be real) and Gabriels (bit Jools). “In a polarised era, there’s something cheering about Fontaines DC’s bold refusal to join in, to deal instead in shades of grey and equivocation,” wrote Alexis Petridis in his four-star review of their 2022 album, Skinty Fia.

Lizzo’s wonderfully camp performance truly injected some glitz and glam into what has, so far, been a decidedly low-key awards show. Obviously her whipping out the flute was a real highlight, but even without it it would have been a beautiful, pink fluffy affair.

She also had some great dancers, who were completely up to the task of jumping from a ballad (Special) into some more energetic numbers.

Lizzo truly has the kind of star power that money can’t buy!

That Tom Grennan comment deservedly going down very badly on Twitter… Not the “night to remember” that the BPI wanted, especially when their own attitude to gender parity is under scrutiny.

Lizzo, fresh off winning the record of the year Grammy for her hit About Damn Time, is here performing a medley of songs from her latest album, Special. Aside from looking absolutely impeccable in a gigantic, fluffy pink dress, she also sounds brilliant, belting and ad-libbing like a 70s soul diva. Love her or hate her, Lizzo gives her all to every single performance she does, and this performance is undeniably terrific, especially when she runs onto the catwalk to bust out 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready). About Damn Time gets off to a rough start, but it’s hard to deny star power like this – constantly riffing and interacting with the audience, Lizzo is a consummate performer; even before she whips out her trademark flute, she’s got the crowd at the O2 eating out of the palm of her hand. The whole affair is ridiculous, extravagant and brilliant.

Artist of the year: Harry Styles

Laura Snapes

Another little under-the-table fist bump for Styles.

“Thank you again. I’m gonna start by – I wanna thank my family for being the most supportive, understanding, patient, loving family I could have ever asked for. I wanna thank my mum for signing me up for X Factor without telling me, I literally wouldn’t be here without you. I wanna thank Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn cos I wouldn’t be here without you either.”

And he does take the Aitch bait! “I’m really, really grateful for this and I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight, so this award is for Rina [Sawayama], Charli [XCX], Florence [+ the Machine], Mabel and Becky, [Hill] thank you so much.”

Things like this don’t happen to artists like him… except they did just last week, and will most likely continue to for the rest of the night. Styles won the best album award at the Grammys because that ceremony loves Real Music™ and there are lots of real instruments on Harry’s House. I don’t think the Brits are hamstrung by the same old-school aesthetic considerations; they’re just doggedly in thrall to popularity.

Again, it would have felt more thrilling to see Central Cee win this, but otherwise, fair enough: I love my floppy-haired king George Ezra, and the second, sadder half of Gold Rush Kid is good, but I didn’t think even his heart was in that campaign; Stormzy’s half-exciting This Is What I Mean has been an astonishing commercial flop, and these days he seems more statesman than musical force; Fred Again’s Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing) is one of the most grating, sanctimonious songs I’ve ever heard (albeit used perfectly for that final shot of horror in Triangle of Sadness) and he makes music for nepo babies to feel hard done by to. Let us toast Styles, weakly.

This is the second year that the Brits has had a non-gendered artist of the year category and, despite many great female acts being eligible for nomination, no women were nominated for the award. We’ve collected a few tributes to some of the eligible female artists who weren’t nominated, and we’ll publish them throughout the night. First off, here’s jazz musician Alabaster DePlume, writing on his collaborator Beth Orton:

We can escape to comfortable places in our publicised work, without knowing it, and hide or deny our humanity – the very thing you come to us for. But a bravery is present in Beth’s album, not only in the voice, the sounds and lyrical content, but also the act of making it. It’s not a record about her storied career, or threats to her health. But those things are there anyway, and they’re relevant. “And our sorrow makes the city shine / We never had to feel that pain / But now those tears are prayers of empathy / Gonna wash me clean again”. Her voice seems to tell me how bold frailty is a basic part of everyday life. It would be to champion the defiance that it takes to live tenderly in this world, that I would nominate Beth Orton for the Brit Awards, if it were my place to do so.

It’s the controversial best artist category next…

Quick moment for MNEK’s outfit, spotted as he sits next to his production charges Flo. Shaad says “it’s giving Vivacious and Ornacia”. I am too old to know what that means.

New artist: Wet Leg

Laura Snapes

Hester Chambers looks absolutely mortified, holding the Brit in the most precarious way possible. Rhian Teasdale, meanwhile, goes straight in with a tribute to – or loving mockery of?! – their Domino label-mate Alex Turner’s (excruciating) 2014 Brit awards acceptance speech, complete with cod Rotherham accent.

“‘That rock’n’roll, hey?! That rock’n’roll! It just won’t go away! It might hibernate from time to time, and sink back into the swamp …’” She laughs. “Err, no, but in all seriousness, thank you so much. It’s really cool to be doing this on an indie label, shout out Domino. Man, this is so scary! Being on the telly can feel like such a boys’ club thing but I just want to thank all of the women that worked on the whole production thing – it is a team of women and I just really want to shout them out. I’m really nervous so I’m gonna stop now, but thanks so much!”

Wet Leg left the Grammys with two awards last week and could possibly claim four Brits tonight. Whatever you think of their milkmaid comedy rock, it’s been an undeniably massive 12 months for Teasdale and Chambers. At the time of the last Brit awards they were yet to release their debut album, and now they’re the feelgood indie act that the whole family can enjoy. Domino Records have managed their breakout well, I think – Wet Leg formed in lockdown and had scarcely played live before breaking out, and rather than parachute them into whopping venues, the venerable UK indie label has let them grow gradually as a live act. (Their last headlining London show was at Kentish Town Forum, which stands 2,300 – you imagine they could fill a room 10 times that at this point.)

Lewis Capaldi’s performance, reviewed

Shaad D’Souza

King of sadboy pop Lewis Capaldi has arrived to perform a stripped-back version of his No 1 single Forget Me. While I like the ultra-rhythmic, Haim-like vibes of the recorded version, this choir-and-guitar-only rendition of the track does give Capaldi an opportunity to show off his rich, ragged voice. He definitely hit a few bung notes in the first verse, but watching this, it’s easy to understand why the Scot – who is hilarious online, but decidedly po-faced in his music – has charmed so many fans. It’s a performance that’s rich with pathos and emotion.

Laura Snapes

Tom Grennan to Ellie Goulding as they present best new artist, pointing at her armour-like dress: “I love what you’re doing – they’re your real boobs?” What the hell? I foresee a Slowthai/Katherine Ryan redux here. Hard to deal with a moment like that on live TV: Goulding responds by saying they’re actually much further apart. Revolting.

Mo Gilligan apologises for the Sam slip, saying that it’s proof of “how strong the drinks are” at the Brits.

And if we’re talking Brits controversies, here’s a primer on the debacle around this year’s all-male best artist category.

Earlier this week, our reporter Aamna Mohdin reported on British R&B’s struggle to find a foothold in the UK music industry, speaking to the likes of Trevor Nelson, Nao and Nathan Burke, manager of Sault, Inflo and Cleo Sol.

Did Mo Gilligan just introduce Lewis Capaldi as Sam Capaldi? Classic!

Pop/R&B act: Harry Styles

Laura Snapes

Wow, double fist pumping and a swipe at the air from Styles as he gets up from his table. He must really want to be named the UK’s best pop and R&B act!!

“Thank you so so much for this,” he says, to unstoppable screaming. “First of all I know this was a fan-voted award so to all my fans who voted thank you so, so much. I have so many wonderful memories of the Brits so thank you for another one. It is so good to be home, thank you so, so much.”

He doesn’t rise to the Aitch beef! Come on Harry!!! Anyway, this is the first of Styles’ possible four gongs tonight. Previously he’s won two solo Brits and five with One Direction so he stands to make it to double figures tonight and make a lot more Brits memories.

This was a controversial category for the total exclusion of the R&B artists it purports to celebrate. In commercial terms, Styles has outshone the competition here – it’s been a relatively quiet 12 months for Dua Lipa, Sam Smith’s dominance has only taken place in the last few months, and Cat Burns’ dominance is really only the result of Smith “hopping” on a remix of her song Go – but his conveniently ambiguous, lovelorn AOR pales in excitement next to whatever Charli XCX is doing at any given time.

That said, you can already hear the impact of Harry’s House – Miley Cyrus’s new single, Flowers (currently UK No 1 for a third week), is lovely but far more tepid than her usual belting comebacks, fitting right into that post-Harry’s House groove (right down to her hiring Styles’ main collaborator, Kid Harpoon, as cowriter).