The BRITs at 30: The 2000s
In 2000, The BRIT awards recovered from presenting Steps with their first and only award for Best Selling Live Act, a rather spurious prize, which has since been dropped.
Macy Gray arrived to accept her Best International Newcomer in a smoking jacket, while Robbie challenged Liam to a fight. Elsewhere Coldplay repeated the feat of Fine Young Cannibals by winning Best Band and Best Album twice (in 2001 and 2003) and personified a relatively scandal free decade, which presumably led to the awards return to live broadcast under Russell Brand in 2007.
While akin to leaving fire safety to the Prodigy (winners of Best Dance act 1997), there were actually fewer complaints than expected (or hoped for?), with Brand's comments towards the Queen and friendly fire in Iraq upsetting less people than his later phone call to Andrew Sachs.
The actual awards fell to more rock orientated acts, such as the Darkness (who cleared up at 2004's awards), Keane who came good on their 2005 Best Breakthrough act and the country-dressed Arctic Monkeys in 2008, while Robbie walked off with awards seemingly on a yearly basis. Girls Aloud demonstrated that reality TV with the right songwriters was as pop as it gets, winning Best Single with The Promise in 2009.
With Oasis' star fading, controversy returned for last year's 30th anniversary show when Liam received The BRITs Album of 30 Years award (for Oasis' Definitely Maybe). He thanked everyone but songwriter Noel Gallagher before throwing the gong into the audience, somehow missing Dizzee Rascal and Florence who seemed to be everywhere.
It was the year that the Spice Girls won the most Memorable BRITs Performance of the past 30 years (yup, the Union Jack dress one), beating Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My Head from 2002, Kanye West's 2006 Gold Digger and Pet Shop Boys' Go West (with Welsh male voice choir) from 1994.
Thus the stage is set for the next 10 years
