Last night, the BRIT Awards came to Manchester for the first time ever, bringing some of the world’s biggest music names to our city.
And, in true Saturday-night-in-Manchester style, there were more than a few mad moments over at the Co-op Live.
This year’s BRIT Awards saw Olivia Dean go home the most-decorated performer of the night, scooping Artist of the Year, Mastercard Album of the Year, and Pop Act, among others.
There were also performances from Harry Styles, Mark Ronson, Raye, Olivia Dean and Rosalia – with plenty of surprises along the way.
And on a night that was heavily censored on TV, here are 10 moments you might have missed from the BRIT Awards 2026.
It just wouldn’t be a big Manchester event without Happy Mondays icons Bez and Shaun Ryder picking up a microphone – even if no one knows exactly what will happen next.
With Bez sporting a bright red outfit that was halfway between a tomato and a bell boy, they made it pretty neatly through their presenting section, handing Wolf Alice the Best British Group Award (though Bez did keep interrupting Shaun’s speech to shout ‘MANCHESTER’).
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But then host Jack Whitehall made the mistake of sitting at the table with them, and Paddington Bear, with the ensuing chaos breaking Jack’s professional facade for the first time of the night… you can see the rest for yourself above.
The Manchester jokes came thick and fast at the BRIT Awards, but a particularly odd moment occurred when Jack Whitehall headed into the pit with the BRIT School students.
He said: “This year, because we’re in Manchester, we wanted to mix it up a bit – by throwing in some proper old-school ravers with the BRIT School kids.
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“Yeaaah! There he is, the big man keeping the spirit of the Hacienda alive.
“Don’t look concerned kids, he’s actually the same age as you, he’s just from Preston.”
The ‘stage invasion’ during Sombr’s performance
sombr gets pushed and called a “Homewrecker” during his performance at The BRIT Awards. pic.twitter.com/e4pmki2fay
Halfway through Sombr’s set at the BRIT Awards, there was a moment where chaos broke out – stage invader wrestled off stage by security, set collapsing around him, sparks flying.
And for a brief moment, the audience panicked that the star was in real trouble.
But no. Just a stunt. Not a very good one. Sombr is alive and well.
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Angry Ginge and Luke Littler on the same stage as Rosé
In a night that poked non-stop fun at the North, it was refreshing to have an actual Manc have a moment in the spotlight – and our unlikely hero of the night was none other than social media star and King of the Jungle Angry Ginge.
He hopped up on stage with Luke Littler – yes, him off the darts – to present the International Song of the Year award, which went to Blackpink star Rosé and Bruno Mars’ hit APT.
There was just something about seeing one of the world’s biggest pop stars sandwiched between two such utterly British characters that felt a bit crazy.
As well as delivering one of the stand-out performances of the night, BRIT Award-winner Rosalía also delivered one of our favourite moments.
While chatting with Jack Whitehall about her multilingual album Lux, he asked her if she spoke any Manc.
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To which she turned straight to the camera, addressed Liam Gallagher directly, and dropped a ‘Sunsheeeiiiiiine’. Amazing woman.
Surprise Dua Lipa
The moment Dua Lipa made a surprise appearance at the BRIT Awards
During Mark Ronson’s medley of hits, as part of his Outstanding Contribution to Music award, he pulled out plenty of surprises.
There was Ghostface Killa popping up out of a car parked on stage, a beautiful tribute to Amy Winehouse featuring her original vocals with a live band – and then the glitterball started lowering from the ceiling, with Dua Lipa herself perched on top of it.
It was an especially fun moment for those in the audience at the Co-op Live, who saw the star had been hiding up in the rafters since the last ad break for her moment in the spotlight.
The table of politicians, including Andy Burnham
"The only party he's allowed into these days" Political banter as Jack Whitehall passes Andy Burnham at the #BRITspic.twitter.com/8jCoI67pkJ
In amongst all the music heavyweights and pop culture darlings in the Co-op Live, sat in arguably the best seats in the house, was none other than a gaggle of local politicians.
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Andy Burnham, Bev Craig, and Lisa Nandy all sat right beside the stage, with Jack Whitehall joining them for a brief roast.
He said: “Oh my god it’s Andy Burnham! Legend! The only party he’s allowed in to these days.”
Jack added: “And Lisa Nandy! This must be the politician’s table, I wonder who else is here,” before making a joke about Peter Mandelson that was quickly censored on ITV… more on that later.
There was another special guest on stage with this year’s BRIT Award performers, but this one came with remarkably less fanfare than Dua Lipa and Bjork.
Yep, the pianist performing behind Alex Warren was James Blunt, complete with velvet smoking jacket.
The camera barely even zoomed in on him throughout the performance, and in the Co-op Live it was mostly a chorus of people saying ‘… is that James Blunt…?’
The stuff you didn’t hear on TV…
The main difference between being in the room at the BRIT Awards in Manchester and watching it on telly at home is the lack of censoring happening in the venue itself.
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Fans watching at home were baffled at what jokes they were missing out on as ITV slammed the *white noise* button at every swear and political joke. So here are some of the bits you might have missed.
Addressing the table of politicians, Jack Whitehall said: “I wonder who else is here? I think I saw Peter Mandelson on the list – no, sorry, that was another list.”
On stage, Angry Ginge said: “It is an absolute privilege to see the BRITs in Manchester, because it shows people are realising London’s a sh*thole.”
Geese’s Max Bassin’s acceptance speech was also censored, with him opening with: “Free Palestine, f*ck ICE.”
Liam Fray says ‘yes’ to Courteeners supporting Oasis on tour amid rumoured 2027 dates
Danny Jones
Liam Fray has said that the Courteeners are ready to “answer the call” if/when it comes to supporting Oasis on their next big live tour, with rumours of dates for shows in 2027 ramping up.
The fellow Manc favourites were heavily suggested as potential support acts for the Live ’25 reunion gigs, but Cast and Richard Ashcroft were ultimately selected as the warm-ups for the world tour.
With that in mind, when asked if Courteeners would be ready to open up for Oasis on their still only hypothetical tour next year, Fray had a very quick answer:
Not to speak for the Middleton musician, but it’s a bit of a no-brainer, really.
As you can see, in a recent interview with Radio X host Johnny Vaughan promoting the indie rockers’ new single, ‘Plus One Forever’, the 41-year-old frontman made it clear that he and his bandmates would bite hands off if the other Liam and/or his brother Noel offered a slot to them.
The younger Gallagher brother definitely had plenty of fun teasing supports last time around, before making some fairly more obvious posts and then seemingly just announcing them on social media according to his own timeline.
LG does what he wants, after all.
As for the supposed ’12 nights at the Etihad Stadium’ reported recently, not to mention all the other sets across the country that would no doubt follow should they come to fruition, Fray could say little else other than simply “Yes” to the prospect.
Joking, “Well, it is from me – I don’t know if someone else has said no!”, there have been no other indications on this front, but it’s safe to say it’d be a huge booking for everyone involved and a HUGE crowd-pleaser; Liam looks to be working on one of his own, elsewhere, too…
The two lead singers have both graced the stage of the Emirates Old Trafford stadium at Lancashire County Cricket Club, as well as Heaton Park, respectively.
Liam noted that he was at Heaton Park himself for that unforgettable summer last year, and also praised Wigan’s very own Ashcroft for being “unbelievable” when he caught him at Wembley. Big shoes to fill. The question is, who would you like to see supporting Oasis on their possible tour dates in the future?
In the meantime, we’ll have to be satisfied with gearing up for the release of the highly-anticipated reunion documentary, with the title and a first trailer now revealed.
The Streets at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and all you need to know
Lydia Mastrolonardo
The Streets are coming to Manchester this weekend to play their landmark album, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, on tour and in full for the first time in full since its release in 2004.
It remains one of the most influential albums of the 21st century, having had a huge impact on culture and UK music, and we couldn’t be more excited to FINALLY hear it in its entirety live and direct.
Speaking on the seminal release, frontman Mike Skinner says he “wrote it as a story from beginning to end, even studying screenwriting to shape it and without the faintest idea how people would react.”
Ahead of this bringing it back to the stage in its entirety, he said: “We’ve been looking for something bold to do with the live show, and we landed here: some tracks have never been played live, others haven’t surfaced in years.” With that in mind, we can’t wait for their 2026 Sounds of the City set. Speaking of…
The Streets at Castlefield Bowl for Sounds of the City
Are there tickets left for The Streets’ Manchester dates?
Skinner and his band are set to fill Castlefield Bowl, and we’ve been blessed with not one, but two nights at this iconic outdoor stage in the heart of the city, on Friday 10 July AND Saturday 11 July – lucky us.
While tickets for the first gig are all sold-out across the board, you can still grab general admission for the second show this Saturday; secure yours HERE.
Known for their lively stage presence, tongue-in-cheek demeanour and unwavering crowd engagement, Skinner and co’s latest visit is not one to miss lightly.
Oh, and if you too were ‘Prangin Out’ about the footy clashing, ‘Dry Your Eyes’ and fear not: you no longer have to choose, thanks to a welcome update ahead of England’s crucial World Cup quarter-final against Norway.
Saturday, August 1, 2026 – Scarborough Open Air Theatre – Scarborough
Friday, August 7, 2026 – Audley End Estate – Essex
Friday, August 21, 2026 – Earlham Park – Norwich
Saturday, August 22, 2026 – O2 Academy Birmingham – Birmingham
Friday, August 28, 2026 – Rock N Roll Circus – Sheffield
Thursday, August 5, 2026 – Depot Mayfield – Manchester
Yes, in case you weren’t aware, the gang are also playing The Warehouse Project as part of the WHP26 programme; tickets for that are also live.
Get them before they go!
Support acts and stage times for The Streets at Castlefield Bowl
For ‘Those That Don’t Know’, there are set to be some amazing support acts joining The Streets on tour. We are lucky enough to get rising Mancunian artist Antony Szmierek, as well as rap and grime MC CASISDEAD for the two days at Castlefield Bowl.
They’ve also kindly given us a very clear rundown of the stage times for each artist’s set, too:
Thankfully, bringing back an album to play start to finish means that we pretty much know almost for certain what they’re going to be playing. Here’s the tracklist as it appears on the original album:
Set 1: A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full
It Was Supposed To Be So Easy
Could Well Be In
Not Addicted
Blinded by the Lights
Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way
Get Out of My House
Fit but You Know It
Such a Tw*t
What Is He Thinking?
Dry Your Eyes
Empty Cans
That being said, we’re almost certainly going to get a few more hits as part of the encore, be it ‘Turn the Page’, ‘Who’s Got the Bag’ and ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’, just to name a few.
What would you most like to hear from elsewhere in their discography for the Sounds of the City (SOTC) double bill? Let us know in the comments.
Transport and travel advice
Getting to Castlefield Bowl
Castlefield Bowl (M3 4JR) is on Rice Street just down Liverpool Road, which cuts off the main Deansgate strip in the city centre, and you can enter Manchester’s much-loved outdoor amphitheatre via Duke or Castle Street.
Tram
It’s just a six-minute walk from the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop, or ever so slightly further is the St Peter’s Square tram stop, where you can find regular trams running all over Greater Manchester from both. You can check the first and last trams from the stops HERE.
Train
The nearest station to Castlefield Bowl is Deansgate train station, being a mere six-minute walk or Manchester Oxford Road, which is only 15 minutes away, with Piccadilly and Victoria being slightly further afield but still not miles away, clocking in at just a few minutes from the gig.
Whichever route you choose, none are unrealistic – just be sure to check last train timings to not get caught short.
Bus
A variety of buses stop close to Castlefield Bowl on their route, such as the 33 or 33b, which stop just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE
Getting to Castlefield Bowl by car and parking info for The Streets
If you’re driving there, Great Northern Warehouse’s (M3 4EE) car park, as well as two other NCPs near Bridgewater Hall and on Quay Street in Spinningfields.
You can also park your car for free and get the tram to the gig from one of Greater Manchester’s 24 Park and Ride sites.
Walk/cycle
If you’re that bit more climate conscious, then there are plenty of options for you too. Why not use the TfGM journey planner to find the best cycle route for you?
If you’re up for saving some pennies, the planet and want to take in your surroundings on a summer evening, then walking is a great option to beat the queues. Even walking a portion of your journey may be a wise idea!
Just make sure you save some energy for an all-night party (here’s hoping England can take it long into the early hours).
If you’re wondering what the vibes have been like at SOTC 2026 so far, here’s a taster from night two…
Safe to say @wetlegband continue to 'level up' when it comes to live shows. 🔥
Daisy Jackson -
1st March 2026 
