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The Independent
39 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Brit Awards announces big change to iconic awards show
The Brit Awards will be held in Manchester for the first time in the ceremony's history in 2026. For the past four decades, the UK music industry's biggest night has been held in London. The 2026 ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 28, and will be broadcast on ITV1, ITVX, STV, and STV Player. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, hailed the move as a 'massive coup' for the city, emphasising its rich music heritage. Jason Iley, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music UK & Ireland, believes the move to Manchester will invigorate the show and build on its legacy.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Brit awards swap London for Manchester to ‘invigorate' show
It has been one of the high points of London's music calendar for almost half a century, but the Brit awards has confirmed it is ditching the capital and moving to Manchester next year. The celebration of British music will be held at the Co-op Live arena in 2026 and 2027 – its 50th anniversary – as part of plans to 'invigorate' the show, organisers said. Next year is the first of three years of Sony stewardship for the Brit awards, responsible for some the UK's most famous music moments led by northern acts, including Jarvis Cocker mooning at Michael Jackson in 1996, Chumbawamba dumping a bucket of ice water over the then deputy prime minister John Prescott in 1998, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner's literal mic-drop after his speech trashing the music industry in 2014. Organisers said moving the Brits to the home of the legendary Haçienda club and Factory Records 'perfectly captures the spirit and energy' of the event. The chair and CEO of Sony Music UK & Ireland, Jason Iley, described it as a 'very exciting time'. 'Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the Brits legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music,' he said. 'Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the Brit awards.' Sign up to The Guide Get our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Friday after newsletter promotion The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, pointed to the 'unparalleled music heritage' of the city, which has spawned artists such as Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and Take That. 'Greater Manchester has an unparalleled music heritage known around the world, and this summer will play host to some of the biggest gigs on the planet,' he said. 'That was only made possible by our strong commitment to new talent and giving emerging artists the opportunities to make their name. 'Celebrating the Brit awards right here in the home of 24-hour party people is the next chapter in its story and you can be sure that we will help them do it in style.' The move is part of a wider trend in the music industry towards celebrating the north of England as being responsible for some of the world's biggest music stars past and present. The MTV European music awards were held at Co-op Live last year, and the Mobo awards has spent its last two years in the northern cities of Sheffield and Newcastle. The Northern music awards, recognising homegrown talent, are in their second year after their inaugural event in Manchester in 2024.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BRIT Awards confirms major shake-up as iconic music event relocates from London for the first time in 46 years ahead of 2026 ceremony
The BRIT Awards will be moving away from London for the first time in the ceremony's 46-year history. MailOnline revealed the annual showpiece, regarded as the biggest night in British music, will now be held in Manchester hosted at Co-op Live next year and in 2027. After nearly five decades in London, the ceremony will be marking a bold new chapter taking place on Saturday, February 28th, and will broadcast exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. The change will be officially framed around the desire to reach new audiences in other regions, while also banishing its 'London-centric' reputation. The 2026 event will be the first of three years under the stewardship of Sony Music UK, who spearheaded the move to Manchester. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Jason Iley MBE, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music UK & Ireland said: 'This is a very exciting time for The BRIT Awards. Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music. 'Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. I can't wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.' Meanwhile Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said: 'For The BRIT Awards to move out of London is a massive coup for Greater Manchester. After 48 years, it is great that this prestigious global event is about to arrive in the UK capital of music and culture. 'Greater Manchester has an unparalleled music heritage known around the world, and this summer will play host to some of the biggest gigs on the planet. That was only made possible by our strong commitment to new talent and giving emerging artists the opportunities to make their name. 'We thank our friends at the BPI for choosing Manchester and we will pull out all the stops to show they made the right decision. Celebrating the BRIT Awards right here in the home of 24 hour party people is the next chapter in its story and you can be sure that we will help them do it in style.' However music insiders have told MailOnline 'cost-cutting' is also a major factor for the move, as 'everything is more expensive in the capital.' The BRITs, which has provided iconic moments in music history including Spice Girl Geri Horner 's Union Jack dress and Madonna 's infamous 2015 stage fall, has been held at London's O2 Arena since 2011. Past venues include Earl's Court, the London Arena, Alexandra Palace, Hammersmith Apollo, the Dominion Theatre, the Royal Albert Hall, the Grosvenor Hotel and its original location, Wembley Conference Centre. But the move away from the capital signals another new era in the ceremony's history, arguably the most seismic. A source told MailOnline: 'It's officially the end of an era. The BRIT Awards has been hosted in London since the ceremony first took place in 1977 and now for the first time ever, it will be held outside of the capital. 'Obviously, it's going to come as sad news to artists and talent who are London-based but there's a feeling within the music industry that these shows don't always need to be held at the same venues, year after year. 'The BRITs is the biggest night in the British music calendar and now it will be shared with a new audience, as fans from Manchester and the surrounding areas are more likely to attend. 'In recent years, there has been a general appetite for the ceremony to move, as with the The Mercury Prize and The MOBO Awards and now for the first time the music scene won't be as London-centric, both for the nominees and fans.' According to insiders, bosses hope relocating the awards outside of London may free up more cash to spend on A-list artists to play at the ceremony. However, there are concerns many London-based acts and record company execs may turn their noses up, due to many of the big labels being based down south. An insider said: 'It's very gutting for artists who are in London, travelling to Manchester will triple the costs for people having to pay for travel and accommodation, which will no doubt go up in price. 'There's also the fear that record labels such as Sony Music, Warner, and Universal will be less inclined to host glamorous afterparties for the nominees and winners, and that the ceremony as a whole could potentially be poorly attended. 'It's not what anyone wants to hear and from many people's perspective it's purely to cut costs when London is the rightful home of the BRITs.' The BRIT Awards is not only famous for its superstar performers, glamorous guests and famous hosts, it's also provided outrageous moments watched by millions at home. Madonna's stage fall, in which the iconic singer was accidentally pulled down some stairs by a backing dancer grabbing onto her cloak, is just one of many unpredictable incidents which became synonymous with the BRITs. Chumbawabe pouring a bucket of ice water over then deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the 1998 was a stand out moment, as was DJ Brandon Block confronting Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood on stage in 2000, who promptly threw a drink over him and summoned football hard man Vinnie Jones over to confront the intruder. Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker 'mooning' Michael Jackson's performance of Earth song in 1996 sparked huge controversy, as did Adele giving the middle finger after host James Corden cut her off mid-speech to end the show back in 2012. Notable presenters, aside from Corden, down the years have included Jack Whitehall, Chris Evans, Ben Elton, Kylie Minogue and Peter Kay, who famously branded Liam Gallagher a 'knobhead' for throwing his award into the crowd. But the most notorious were arguably the worst, the iconic 1989 pairing of Page 3 legend Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood whose stint as hosts was marred with technical issues so bad the show was televised twice, the second time with the shambolic errors edited out. The BRITs in 2026 and 2027 will continue to raise funds to support education and well-being for young people through The BRIT Trust, which supports the BRIT School in south London and nationwide music therapy charity Nordoff & Robbins, among other organisations adjacent to the music industry. Mastercard will continue their long-standing headline sponsorship - which is now in its 28th year, and ITV will continue to be The BRITs' official broadcaster.
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BRIT Awards to be held in new UK city as show moved from London for first time
Show bosses have chosen Manchester to host the next two BRIT Awards in what has been described as a "massive coup" for the city. The city that spawned era-defining artist such as Oasis, The Smiths, New Order and The Stone Roses is to play host to the Brit Awards for the first time next year. Manchester's Co-op Live arena – the biggest indoor venue in the UK – will host the awards in 2026 and 2027 after 45 ceremonies in London. Andy Burnham, metro mayor of Greater Manchester, said: 'This is a massive coup for Greater Manchester. After 48 years, it is great that this prestigious event is about to arrive in the UK capital of music and culture. 'Greater Manchester has an unparalleled music heritage known around the world and this summer will play host to some of the biggest gigs on the planet. That was made possible by our commitment to new talent and giving emerging artists opportunities to make their name. 'Celebrating the Brit Awards here is the next chapter in its story and you can be sure that we will help them do it in style.' Next year's Brit Awards will also be the first of three years under the stewardship of Sony Music UK, which spearheaded the move to Manchester. It paves the way for the annual ceremony to move to other parts of the UK in future years. The Mercury Music Prize is being held in Newcastle in October, also moving out of London for the first time. One source said: 'London has a bit of a stranglehold on the music industry with the majority of record labels being based there. "This is the perfect response to that and will land really well with fans.' The Brits have been held at the O2 Arena since 2011. Before that, they were hosted by a variety of venues in London including Earl's Court, Alexandra Palace and the Royal Albert Hall. Jason Iley, chief executive of Sony Music UK & Ireland, said the move to Manchester would, 'invigorate the show and build on the Brits' legacy of celebrating world-class music'. The Brits began as the BPI Awards in 1977 and have been an annual event since 1982. They became the Brits in Live opened in May 2024.
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Brit Awards in huge shake-up as show makes massive change for the first time in 46 year history
The move means it will now be held in Europe's biggest indoor arena a brit deal Brit Awards in huge shake-up as show makes massive change for the first time in 46 year history Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE BRIT Awards are facing a huge shake-up for the first time in its 46-year history. The annual music ceremony is leaving London for the first time ever. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 The BRIT Awards are moving to the Co-Op Live in Manchester for 2026 and 2027 Credit: PA 5 US star Sabrina Carpenter performed at this year's ceremony in London Credit: Getty As part of a new strategy move, Manchester will become the home of the ceremony - with the city's Co-Op Live hosting the awards in 2026 and 2027. A new partnership means the iconic ceremony will be heading up North for the first time ever. Since 2011, it has been held at The O2 Arena and was held at iconic London venues including Earls Court and the Royal Albert Hall prior to that. 2026 marks the first year under a new three-year stewardship under Sony Music UK who will oversee the ceremony's transition to Manchester. The first ceremony to be held at Europe's biggest indoor arena - the Co-Op Live - will take place on Saturday 28th February and be broadcast on ITV. The BRITs will also unveil a new chair of their commitee as part of deal with Sony Music UK at a later date. This role includes overseeing all aspects of the show including performer bookings, hosts, show creative and categories, will be announced at a later date. Speaking of the news, Jason Iley MBE, Chairman and CEO at Sony Music UK & Ireland said: 'This is a very exciting time for The BRIT Awards. "Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music. "Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. Maura Higgins, Sabrina Carpenter and Maya Jama look incredible as they lead the glamour at The Brit Awards 2025 "I can't wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.' Bev Craig, the Leader of Manchester City Council added: 'This is a massive boost for Manchester and we are delighted that The BRITs will be coming here for the first time in its history. "Manchester is at the forefront of the UK music scene, from our iconic grassroots scene through to major events and this news is a major vote of confidence in Manchester. "We have got here through a great partnership between the BPI, Co-op Live, Sony Music as well as our own businesses in the city and we hope this is the beginning of a long and successful partnership.' 5 Jade was another performer at this year's event Credit: Getty 5 Charli XCX was 2025's big winner Credit: Getty Successful artists to emerge from Manchester include The Stone Roses, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, Take That, The 1975 and Aitch. The city is also home to Oasis with rumours likely to go into overdrive that the Gallagher brothers could perform at next year's ceremony in their home city following the completion of their iconic reunion tour later this year. Mastercard will continue their long-standing headline sponsorship of the ceremony which will mark their 28th year supporting the event. Further information on nominees and ceremony performers are expected to be announced in 2026. This year's ceremony was dominated by Charli XCX who picked up five awards for her iconic Brat album. Sabrina Carpenter and Jade were among the performers at the event held at The O2 Arena.
