The best (potentially gin-fuelled) BRIT Award moments of all time

As music fans gear up for Glastonbury festival this week, we take a look back at another UK rock n' roll institution, the BRIT awards, whose last two official after-parties have been graced by our June Gin of the Month, NB Gin.

Ah, the BRITs. An annual celebration of the best aspects of British culture – drinking included!

For the last two years, attendees at the Sony BRIT Awards after party have been fortunate enough to sip NB Gin. The spirit went down well with the A-list crowd; according to Vivienne Muir, NB’s CEO, every single bottle they sent down to London was gone by the end of the evening. 

All of that gin certainly went to good use, inspiring DJ extraordinaire Mark Ronson (most recently of Uptown Funk fame) to take the decks for a surprise set. And who joined him? Vivienne herself, with a delicious NB Gin and tonic for the music superstar in hand. It was a moment immortalised for posterity by a well-placed photographer. 

But NB G&Ts weren’t all that was on offer. To celebrate the brand’s second outing at the Sony BRITS after party, NB’s expert mixologist came up with something very special indeed: the B’s Knees, a delicious cocktail made using NB Gin, honey, rosemary and black peppercorns - get the recipe here. 

But be warned: these delicious drinks can be dangerous if consumed in large quantities! And while we can’t confirm that they were directly responsible for all of these memorable moments, we wouldn’t be surprised if cocktails and/or gin were somehow involved somewhere…

Was Geri Halliwell’s iconic Union Jack dress – cobbled together last minute from a dish towel and a Dolce and Gabbana Dress – the best fashion moment of all time? An army of ‘90s kids would argue yes, but for most this classic BRITs outfit was a thoroughly modern patriotic statement (and jolly good fun to boot). Just a year later Halliwell’s dress, already an icon of Girl Power and Cool Britannia, was auctioned off by Sotheby’s for £41,320. That hefty price tag secured the dress the Guinness World Record for most expensive piece of popstar clothing ever dealt at auction. Halliwell donated the proceeds to a children’s cancer care charity.

What possessed Jarvis Cocker, frontman of Pulp, to make his way on stage during Michael Jackson’s 1996 performance of “Earth Song”? These days his bizarre bum rush is remembered as a hilarious representation of Britpop’s excess and irreverence, but Cocker insists that his appearance was more protest than power play. He objected, he says, to how the performance seemed to set MJ up as a Christ-like saviour of the world’s children. Regardless, we’re sure a little liquid courage was needed to crash the King of Pop’s stage.

As Madonna took the BRITS stage in 2015, wrapped in a giant red cape fastened at the neck, everyone was expecting the triumphant return of pop music’s most enduring star. Instead, the entire western world gasped in horror as a backing dancer, intending to pull off cape off with a flourish, instead tugged Madge herself down the stairs. Ever the professional, Madonna was back up and singing after just a few stunned seconds on the stage floor, finishing the song with remarkable sang froid. Was the tumble a genuine snafu or publicity stunt? The world may never know. 

Before Adele ruled the world of pop music, she was a young woman trying to collect her second BRIT Award from James Corden. Then he cut off her acceptance speech. In true Adele fashion, she flipped the bird. Predictably, the gesture caused a media furore as journos accused Adele of insulting her fans, forcing the songstress to clarify the gesture. It was in no way directed at her fans, she said, but was instead meant for ‘all of the suits’ responsible for rushing her off the stage. That’s why we call her 'Queen'. 

When then-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott attended the BRIT Awards in 1998, it was in an attempt to link his New Labour government with Cool Britannia. Danbert Nobacon, drummer of anarcho-punk group Chumbawamba, had other plans: dousing the Deputy PM with a bucket of ice water. Needless to say, it was a night to remember for all those concerned.