The Brits: Back To Their Best
Live for the first time since 1989, The Brit Awards 2007 rocked! InSITE reporter Paul Rogers watched the action.
This was the year that The Brits went back to its roots. Returning live, with possible outrageous behaviour and celebrating the best in British music. It didn’t disappoint, with brilliant performances and well deserved winners. There weren’t any controversial moments but that did not matter, it was still a night to remember.
Hosted by presenter and stand-up comedian Russell Brand, the Brits went live for the first time since 1989, when it was infamously hosted by Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox (the one when they fluffed their lines.) It was held at the Earl’s Court Arena in London on February 14th, Valentines Night, which showed in the décor of hearts and roses. The opening performance was from The Scissor Sisters, who also opened the show last year. Again they did not disappoint as they played their massive hit Don’t Feel Like Dancing as puppets. It was an excellent choice, with everyone on their feet. The first award then went to Muse, who won Best Live Act. A well deserved winner, with sell out gigs and having recently announced that they will be one of the first bands to perform at the new Wembley Stadium.
The rest of the evening was mainly about the performances. Highlights included Snow Patrol, who beautifully performed Chasing Cars, Red Hot Chili Peppers, who rocked the house with a rousing rendition of Dani California and The Killers with a stand-out performance of When I Was Young. Consequently, the American band was one of the big winners of the night, picking up two awards for Best International Group and Best International Album for Sam’s Town. The big British winners were Sheffield four-piece The Arctic Monkeys, who celebrated a fantastic year by winning Best British Group and British Album. Other notable winners were James Morrison and Amy Winehouse, who won Best British Male and Female respectively. The best British Single, which was the only award that could be voted on the night by the public, was won by Take That with Patience, which capped a fine comeback. I was also pleased that The Frattelis and Orson were recognised by winning the Breakthrough Acts awards.
The only disappointments were in the choices of people handing out the awards. Johnny Depp and Ringo Starr were rumoured to be handing out the outstanding Contribution to Music Award to Oasis, but instead it was Russell Brand. I bet deep down the Gallagher’s were miffed when they shook his hand. They still put on a fine performance though with a five set medley of their greatest hits. It was a shame that ITV1 only had time to show three, which meant that you had to switch over to 1TV2 half an hour later to watch the rest of the set. Never mind, it still did not sour a grand evening's entertainment celebrating the best music of the moment!
Want to find out more? Check out:
The Brit Awards 2007 Official site
