Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 Arctic Monkeys say rock-and-roll is the winner at top UK music awards

ndie quartet Arctic Monkeys picked up the cov- eted best album award and triumphed over boy Iband One Direction to be named best group, prompting their lead singer to claim a victory for rock-and-roll at British pop’s show of the year. “That rock-and-roll it just won’t go away. That rock- and-roll, it seems like it’s fading away sometimes, but it will never die,” Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner said as he received the band’s second gong of the night for the Mastercard British album of the year. The best group prize at London’s BRIT Awards on Wednesday was the only head-to-head Ellie Goulding reacts on stage upon between Sheffield-born Arctic Monkeys and One receiving the award for British Direction, the five-piece band formed in 2010 on Female Solo Artist of the Year. the TV singing contest The X Factor. “There’s that

Kate Moss is seen on stage accepting the award for British Male Solo Artist on behalf of winner David Bowie from Noel Gallagher at the BRIT Awards 2014 at the O2 Arena in London. —AP photos

eight years. In the past, the band had responded Star count frostily to their BRIT wins. This year, they were Excitement was what the organizers of the odds-on favorites to win both the awards they event were targeting, after last year’s ceremony were up for, and their BRITs silverware count is failed to impress. Labeled by critics as sensible, now seven. One Direction, a band targeted at a sober and dull, even Christian Tattersfield, current young audience and whose fans are mainly chairman of the BRIT Awards committee, admitted teenage girls, did not walk away empty handed, in a British newspaper recently that the 2013 event however. The group picked up the BRITs global “lacked superstars”. He was counting on an atten- success award, being joined late on stage by a tion-grabbing performance by Katy Perry, arriving panting Harry Styles, one of its five members. He in a chariot on stage and clad in a neon Cleopatra said he was late because he had been off “having a outfit, and Bruno Mars’s energetic routine, which British band Bastille members Dan Smith, Kyle J Simmons, Chris ‘Woody’ Wood and wee” when the prize was announced. included dancing saxophonists, to breathe new William Farquarson accept the British Breakthrough award. To particularly noisy screams and cheering at life into the show. their every appearance, One Direction also walked Wearing a sparkling green floor-length gown, fifteen quid we put on One Direction to win down away with the best British video award which was pop queen Beyonce, also sung her track “XO”. Her the drain,” Turner joked as Arctic Monkeys picked decided by twitter votes cast during the evening. appearance was not confirmed ahead of the show up the BRIT for best group. With 17.8 million followers, dubbed “Directioners”, but was widely leaked to the press. The best British Opening the event with their track “R U Mine”, the band’s win never looked in doubt. “It’s the male solo artist award category was won by David in the shadow of giant versions of the letters “AM”, BRITS and it’s exciting,” Styles said, before the Bowie, 67, thirty years after he last held the title. flaming and suspended in mid-air, Arctic Monkeys group got their hands on their two mohawk- He beat up and coming names such as Jake Bugg, were performing at the BRITs for the first time inspired black and white gongs, designed by 19, and Tom Odell, who is 23. despite their multiple successes there over the last milliner-to-the-stars Philip Treacy. Absent from the ceremony, veteran artist Bowie nominated British supermodel Kate Moss to accept the prize on his behalf. Reading from a script writ- ten by Bowie, she finished with the words: “Scotland stay with us”. Bowie’s plea was the evening’s only nod to politics. Scotland will vote on Sept. 18 on whether to become an independ- ent country, ending a 307-year union with England and splitting from the rest of the UK. Ellie Goulding, who three years ago performed at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding reception, won the best British female solo artist award, before wowing the audience with an elec- tric performance in a gold bra and white hot pants. The best British single award went to drum and bass dance collective Rudimental featuring Ella Eyre for “Waiting All Night”, while pop act Bastille took home the British breakthrough act prize. For the first time, the BRITs also had a global audience with YouTube streaming the show live worldwide in addition to the usual broadcast on Britain’s commercial channel ITV. The BRITs har- Band members of English electronic nessing of social media reflects the growing digi- music quartet Rudimental accept the tal revenues powering the British music industry. British Single award. Figures released earlier on Wednesday show that revenues in the UK recorded music sector rose One Direction band members, from left Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall 1.9 percent 730.4 million pounds ($1.22 billion) Horan and Zayn Malik accept the Best Video Award. in 2013. — Reuters