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Brit Awards Roundup: Ed Sheeran, One Direction And Adele Won Big, But Only One Flipped People Off

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Posted by Katherine St Asaph on 02/21/2012 at 5:46 PM Videos

The Popdust Files: adele, brit awards, ed sheeran, florence and the machine, one direction, rihanna

Here is your one-paragraph roundup on the Brit Awards, none of whose winners will surprise you at all. Adele won Best British Female and Best British Album for what should be phenomenally obvious reasons by now, Bruno Mars and Rihanna took the international artist awards for less obvious but still plausible reasons, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran won Best British Male Solo Act and Best Breakthrough Act because people like Jason Mraz analogues who hustle it alone without major labels, Emeli Sande has enough critical acclaim that the critics’ choice award was essentially pre-ordained, One Direction won Best British Single because the public got to speed-vote, and Lana Del Rey got an award (International Breakout Act) because the charts and public like her much better in the U.K. than here. The Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Blur represented rock, Brit- and otherwise. (Need a good roundup that’s more than one paragraph? Ta-da, a liveblog!)

Now for the real highlight: Adele performed what you know she performed. (From the aforementioned live-blog: “It was obviously scheduled immediately after the 9pm watershed just so that she could sing ‘lay your shit bare’.”) She also flipped people off, which wins some kind of award for Best Unintentionally Punny Appearance By Blur:

Everything after Adele flipping the bird is going to be a colossal letdown, but nevertheless, here’s Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” in which she dances like Robyn, doesn’t even try to pretend she’s not singing to a track and does not do anything that’s remotely uncomfortable in light of events we’d rather not say more on:

And Florence and the Machine’s “No Light, No Light,” which was maybe 80% less racist live than its video:

Ed Sheeran is Ed Sheeran, but a Brit Awards post not including him would be like a Grammy post not including–well, Adele again:

The same goes for Olly Murs and Rizzle Kicks, both of whose name recognition is nearly entirely concentrated across the pond. Does host James Corden’s “feisty young scamps” comment seem like it might be a little… off? Yes! It’s definitely off! (He also said something pretty freaking offensive about Adele, so he gets no benefit of the doubt.)