Harry Styles has cleaned up at the Brit Awards, winning all four prizes he was nominated for – and paying tribute to female stars as he collected the trophy for best artist.
Stylesis only the second-ever recipient of the award – merged from the best male and female act prizes in 2022 – and he was handed it this year amid controversy as no women were shortlisted.
Acknowledging this in his acceptance speech, the former One Direction star said he was “aware of his privilege”, and paid tribute to female stars including Charli XCX, Mabel, Rina Sawayama and Florence & The Machine, who were among those eligible for the gong.
Image: Wet Leg picked up the awards for best group and best new act
He also thanked his mum “for signing me up for The X Factor without telling me, so I literally wouldn’t be here without you”, as well as his former bandmates Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, “because I wouldn’t be here without you either”.
As well as best artist – beating Stormzy, George Ezra, Fred Again and Central Cee – Styles, 29, picked up the awards for best song for As It Was, best album for Harry’s House, and best pop/RnB act – which was voted for by the public.
Wet Leg were the other big winners at the ceremony, taking home the prizes for best new artist and group of the year. Before the ceremony, they joked about rivalry with Styles to Sky News – but are actually due to open for the star on his upcoming tour dates.
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It was also a big night for Beyonce, who sent video messages to accept the prizes for best international artist and best international song, for Break My Soul.
“Thank you so much for this incredible recognition,” the star said in her first speech, before thanking her British fans and adding: “The renaissance begins!”
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Some of the biggest names from the world of music attended the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena, which took place on a Saturday night for the first time.
Comedian Mo Gilligan hosted the show for the second year in a row, opening with a skit in which he arrived via a helicopter organised by Lizzo.
Image: Stormzy and Lizzo (below) were among the night’s performers
Styles gave the first performance of the night, while stars including Stormzy, Lizzo, Cat Burns, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Smith also performed.
In the other genre categories, all voted for by the public, rapper Aitch took home the award for best hip hop/grime/rap act, while Becky Hill won the dance prize for the second year in a row, and The 1975 were named best rock/alternative act.
Hill, whose vocals have featured on numerous top 10 dance-pop singles, was tearful as she told the Brits audience how she felt she was getting over her “imposter syndrome”.
This was Harry’s house. More than a decade on from The X Factor and his rise to boyband fame, the 29-year-old solo artist is now at the top of his game.
With four trips up to the podium, he became a semi-permanent fixture on the Brits stage.
While this year’s all-male best artist shortlist caused controversy – from Styles, its winner, there was an acknowledgment of his “privilege” and the women noticeably absent from the shortlist.
While the weight of male artists nominated for Brits this year may have dominated the conversation ahead of the ceremony, Styles’ four wins are now the talking point – victory for an artist intent on blurring gender lines and rallying against toxic masculinity.
David Guetta, who closed the show with a medley featuring Hill and stars including Eurovision performer Sam Ryder, was named producer of the year, while girl band FLO were announced as the winners of the 2023 rising star award ahead of the ceremony.
The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo will be among the stars headlining Glastonbury Festival this year, it has been announced.
Glastonbury organisers have revealed the line-up for this summer’s event, taking place between 25 June and 29 June, after months of speculation.
The 1975 will take to the iconic Pyramid Stage on the Friday to headline, then Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young will perform on Saturday and Olivia Rodrigo on the Sunday.
Other big names performing include British pop sensation Charli XCX, rapper Loyle Carner electronic group The Prodigy.
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Young’s announcement in January came amid some confusion, as he had days before told fans he was pulling out of the festival because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.
The Canadian singer-songwriter later said this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.
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The 1975 will be headlining for the first time, having made their Glastonbury debut in 2014.
The Cheshire band, known for hits such as Somebody Else and Chocolate, have regularly made headlines due to the antics of frontman Matty Healy.
Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.
Image: Neil Young performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival last May. Pic: Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Appetite for the esteemed festival saw standard tickets sell out in 35 minutes in November.
They cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, up £18.50 from the price from the 2024 festival, and were sold exclusively through the See Tickets website.
The date for the resale – where tickets not fully paid for are put back up for purchase – is set for some time in spring.
The headliners last summer on the iconic Pyramid Stage were Dua Lipa, SZA and Coldplay, who made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.
2026 is likely to be a year off for Glastonbury, with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.
Ofcom received 825 complaints over the Brit Awards, with the majority relating to Sabrina Carpenter’s raunchy performance and Charli XCX’s outfit, the media watchdog says.
US pop star Carpenter, 25, sported a red sparkly military-style blazer dress for her performance at the awards show on Saturday night, paired with stockings and suspenders for a rendition of Espresso.
The song was mixed with a Rule Britannia mash-up, as dancers in military parade dress followed her.
She then switched to a red sparkly bra and shorts for her next song, Bad Chem, which she performed alongside dancers in bras and shorts while sitting suggestively on a large bed.
Image: Sabrina Carpenter performing her second song. Pic: Reuters
Carpenter later received the global success award at the ceremony, and was also nominated in the international artist and international song of the year categories.
But much of the buzz on social media surrounded her performance, which took place before the 9pm watershed.
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The singer addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for artist of the year, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
Carpenter paid tribute to the UK in her acceptance speech, saying: “The Brits have given me this award, and this feels like such an insane honour in a very primarily tea-drinking country… you really understood my dry sense of humour because your sense of humour is so, so dry. So I love y’all more than you even understand.”
Actor Noel Clarke begins his High Court libel case against The Guardian’s publisher today.
Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over a series of articles it published about him in April 2021.
They were based on the claims of 20 women Clarke knew “in a professional capacity” who allege his behaviour towards them amounted to sexual misconduct.
Clarke, known for his roles in the Kidulthood trilogy and Dr Who, “vehemently” denies “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing”.
What will the trial cover?
Clarke is suing GNM for libel, sometimes also referred to as defamation.
It’s a civil tort – not a criminal offence – defined as false written statements that have damaged the person’s reputation. This means Clarke can seek redress or damages but no one will face charges or prison.
Clarke claims the articles The Guardian published in 2021 altered public opinion of him, damaged his reputation, and lost him work.
He said after the allegations emerged: “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.
“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.”
The Guardian is defending the claim on the basis of truth and public interest.
It said in its statement: “Our reporting on Noel Clarke in 2021 was based on the accounts of 20 brave women. After we published our first article, more women came forward.
“At trial, 32 witnesses are set to testify against Mr Clarke under oath. We look forward to a judge hearing the evidence.”
The trial will only focus on liability – not the amount of damages to be paid if Clarke is successful.
The actor tried and failed to get the case struck out in January, with his legal team saying it had “overwhelming evidence” of “perversion of the course of justice”.
His lawyers told the High Court three of the journalists involved in the articles had “deliberately and permanently” deleted messages, which meant he could not get a fair trial.
Lawyers for GNM told the court there was “no adequate evidential basis” for Clarke’s application for a strike out and said it sought “to smear Guardian journalists and editors without any proper justification”.
The trial, which will be presided over by judge Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to last between four and six weeks.
Image: In July 2015. Pic: PA
What has happened since the articles were published?
A month before the articles about him were published in April 2021, Clarke received BAFTA’s outstanding contribution to British cinema award.
However, once the allegations against him emerged, he was suspended by the organisation and the prize rescinded.
His management and production company 42M&P told Sky News they were no longer representing him and Sky cancelled its TV show Bulletproof, starring Clarke and Top Boy actor Ashley Walters as the lead roles.
ITV also decided to pull the finale of another of his dramas, Viewpoint, following the Guardian articles.
The Met Police looked into the allegations against Clarke for any potential criminal wrongdoing, but in March 2022 announced they “did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation”.
Clarke filed the libel claim the following month and has attended several of the preliminary hearings in person.
He says he has faced a “trial by media” – and that the ordeal has left him suicidal and in need of professional help.
Image: At the UK premiere of Kidulthood in London’s Leicester Square in 2006. Pic: PA
‘Rising star’
Clarke made his TV debut in a revived version of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2002.
Soon after he played Mickey Smith in Dr Who and Kwame in the six-part Channel 4 series Metrosexuality.
He wrote and starred in the film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood, and Brotherhood, which were based in west London, where he grew up, and explored the lives of a group of teenagers given time off school after a bullied classmate takes their own life.
It was a box office success and eventually saw Clarke given BAFTA’s rising star prize in 2009.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.