The 2015 Brit Awards had its fair share of ups and downs.
Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith picked up gongs, with Taylor Swift and Paloma Faith also winning prizes at the ceremony, which saw Madonna making her comeback in 20 years and snatching all the headlines.
Here’s a look back at the event.
The highs
1) Paloma Faith’s “gobby” speech
Bless Paloma Faith! After picking up her first Brit award for British female solo artist, which is 14 years in the making, the singer launched into what she described as a “gobby” speech, which she dedicated to the “underdogs and grafters”.
2) Royal Blood’s lively performance
Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher, aka Royal Blood, may have baffled viewers over their identity, but the Brighton rock duo – who were named best British band – ensured they are one to watch after they performed their track Figure It Out at the ceremony.
3) Taylor Swift
It was a great night for Taylor Swift, who won the best international solo female award, after she opened the show with an exciting performance of Blank Space. She revealed how her friend Ed Sheeran turned her into an honorary Brit by instilling a love of pubs and British tea in her.
4) George Ezra’s performance
He may have walked away empty-handed, but George Ezra still had his name up in lights for his performance of Budapest.
5) Sam Smith on stage
Sam Smith proved he was the rightful winner of the global success and British breakthrough awards, when he performed his new single, Lay Me Down. Any critics who had doubts over his vocals were surely silenced after that.
The lows
1) Madonna’s fall
Madonna’s tumble down the stairs during her performance of Living For Love has gone viral, and is sure to be a blip in the singer’s normally flawless sets.
2) Kanye West’s muted performance
Kanye West’s surprise Brits comeback turned out to be a shock for viewers after he was heavily muted. The rapper, who was introduced by his wife Kim Kardashian, performed his new song All Day with a large group of friends and a couple of flame-throwers, but the bleeped-out segments proved to be a turn-off for viewers watching the ceremony on TV.
3) Ellie Goulding and Lewis Hamilton’s awkwardness
While Lewis Hamilton’s leather trousers split viewers’ opinions, Ellie Goulding and the Formula One ace – who presented the international solo female artist statuette to Taylor Swift – would have won the award for most awkward presenters on stage after she made a joke about them getting married. His response went down like a lead balloon.
4) Jimmy Carr’s jokes
Jimmy Carr’s jokes about Madonna fell flat. The 8 Out Of 10 Cats star suggested that Madonna was taking Hormone Replacement Therapy drugs when he went on stage, alongside model Karlie Kloss, to present the prize for British video of the year. He said: “I snuck into her dressing room back stage earlier and there’s a lot of drugs back there,” adding: “But don’t worry it’s all HRT stuff.”
5) Ant and Dec’s failed selfie with Kim Kardashian
It’s the selfie everyone wants. Kim Kardashian? Tick. Ant and Dec? Tick. Phone on lock? Uh-oh. Despite releasing a book about the art of taking the perfect selfie, the reality TV star suffered a fail when she tried to take a photo with hosts Ant and Dec.
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