The BRIT Awards are imminent and once again the nominations have got music fans and newspaper columnists across the country arguing about the nominees and putting forward alternative suggestions. I don’t really care for the BRITS much, Robbie Williams has won the most with 15 to his name and that tells you all you need to know about the ‘quality’ of the awards, but being a music fan I always take a look at who’s in the frame if only to see what the national musical zeitgeist looks like.
This year has thrown up some intriguing battles and a few interesting new developments. In years gone by you could pretty much predict who would be in the frame for best female vocalist, Kate Bush was always named and Annie Lennox didn’t even have to make a record, making the bed in the morning seemed to be enough to get her a nomination, but this year both are missing from the list as a new wave of young female Brits led by Duffy and MIA battle it out for the title.
Other notable absentees include Sting, Mick Hucknall and Phil Collins. I’d like to imagine they are going to be spending the evening watching the show on a plasma screen in one of Phil’s many tax havens, crying into their fine wines, unable to understand why the kids are listening to Mike Skinnner’s Brummie tinged blend of pop, rock and rap and not Sting’s lute playing? To paraphrase Louis Armstrong, if you have to ask why, you’ll never know.
There’s always confusion when it comes to best group, with rock, pop and urban awards all being dropped recently leaving simply a Best British Group category. This year the battle has to be between Elbow and Coldplay with the losers probably picking up best live act as a consolation. The BRITS also recognises international acts and the nominees for Best International Group are the strongest in years MGMT should get it but The Killers, Fleet Foxes or Kings of Leon would also be worthy winners.
Although the show is once again going out live after years of being pre recorded I do lament the lack of spontaneity which led to a sense of danger that used to be part of the proceedings. I’m not saying that we should go back to the days when Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood mumbled incoherently for two hours and appeared not to know where they were or even who they were, but there should be room for a few surprises. Remember Jarvis Cocker mooning as Michael Jackson attempted to prove that he really was the son of God? Or the KLF firing vintage machine guns at the industry insiders in the audience then declaring, ‘ Ladies and gentleman, The KLF have now left the music business’? I can’t imagine anything like that happening this year.
The line up does look good though, Coldplay, Duffy, Pet Shop Boys, Girls Aloud, Kings Of Leon, Take That and U2 are all playing and Kylie will present. So I’ll tune in along with everyone else who’s been starved of quality music on terrestrial TV for the past few years, thanks to dross like X-Factor, to listen to some great music and maybe see a few things that would, in pre-recorded times, be edited out.
I think the best chance of any controversy has to be in the category of Best International Male Solo Artist where Seasick Steve and Neil Diamond (combined age of 134) take on Jay-Z and Kanye West (combined worth $134billion…or pretty close). Beck is also in there but I’m afraid he’s now become the American male equivalent of Annie Lennox and doesn’t stand a chance. I’m hoping Neil Diamond tries to appear hip and cool and does a Noel Gallagher; ‘Jay-Z at the BRITS? No Chance!’
