Jim Haysom | This Is Your Life an internet professional in digital advertising

BRIT Awards 2010, Winners and Aftershow Parties

Tuesday 16th February, and it's the 30th Brit Awards 2010 in London. Ticket in hand and it's off to Earls Court for the night. Accessing the exclusive side entrance, I look across and see the camera flashes as celebs walk up the red carpet in the rain, see below.

After some pre-dinner drinks and bumping into people I know and have worked with, it was time to take our front section seats for a top notch meal and a deafening mix of entertainment. Now wish I had custom earplugs made after all.

Sitting in the A section (the front 5 or 6 rows of tables) for Platinum Guests, around me sat stars of music past, present and future. As Craig David brushed past me, each direction you looked, a star or celeb sat tucking into the nosh and drinking champagne, wine and bottles of beer.

Being the only one on the table not drinking, the jug of orange juice and bottles of mineral water was just a tease. Yes, I managed the entire night not to drink alcohol, and polished off that OJ too. The MasterCard beermats were a touch and a shame I could only slip half a dozen into the jacket pocket for a future flipping video. Would have loved to have carted out a box of them for a record breaking attempt.

As the cheese board diminished around the table, the lights dimmed, and the countdown began. The 30th Brit Awards was about to start.

Check out the video below of the opening with Lily Allen making her entrance on a rocket!

Peter Kay was brilliant and I can't wait to watch the show again having taped it on Sky+ Remote Record. Unquestionably his best line quipped "What a knobhead" was after Liam Gallagher through the microphone and award into the crowd. Now apparently there was a live delay for the broadcast and the "best fucking fans in the world" was bleeped out, so producers were prepared...

However, not prepared with a spare microphone. What you didn't see was during the commercial break; the begging over the speakers for the thrown microphone to be handed back. Yes, we appreciate they are expensive, but to say that keeping it will prevent artists performing seemed a bit ill planned. Would love to have seen that and the award up on eBay.

Earls Court is pretty massive and this video below, taken during an ad break, shows the size of the place and the thousands of people up in the top tiers.

The Brits ended with Robbie Williams singing 9 songs in total, including the Take That classic 'Everything Changes'.  At 10pm with the TV cameras were no longer broadcasting, and the crowd screamed and begged for more. And Robbie responded with a fitting ending for his Outstanding Contribution award.

The Brit Awards 2010 Winners

• Brits Performance Of The Last 30 Years: Spice Girls for Wannabe/Who Do You Think You Are? (1997)
• British Male Solo Artist: Dizzee Rascal
• International Male Solo Artist: Jay-Z
• Brits Album Of The Last 30 Years: Oasis for (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
• British Breakthrough Act: JLS
• British Group: Kasabian
• International Breakthrough Act: Lady GaGa
• International Female Solo Artist: Lady GaGa
• British Female Solo Artist: Lily Allen
• International Album: Lady GaGa for The Fame
• British Single: JLS for Beat Again
• The MasterCard British Album: Florence and the Machine for Lungs
• British Producer: Paul Epworth
• Critics Choice Ellie Goulding
• Outstanding Contribution to Music: Robbie Williams

The Brit Awards 2010 Aftershow Parties

The major record labels pulled out all the stops to celebrate the night for their artists, staff and guests by hosting aftershow parties across London.

Whilst the Gold & Platinum Guests who were seated and dined during the night, could attend the aftershow party upstairs in Earls Court, the real glamour and exclusivity was to be had in venues in central and west London hosted by the labels themselves.

The dailies and evening papers on Wednesday were full of photos and gossip of who went where. It was like a roll call of A-lister music stars and TV celebs.

Universal Music seemed to pull off the biggest, and no bias just because I was there. There was in no particular order; Lady GaGa, Lily Allen, Florence Welch, Liam Gallagher, Suggsy, Courtney Love, Sting's daughter and possibly Sting himself, Ellie Goulding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud, Meatloaf, Sugababes, Holly Valance, Lee Ryan, Pixie Lott, Frankie Sandford And Mollie King from The Saturdays, Pixie Geldoff, Rachel Stevens and even Leigh Francis who does Bo' Selecta!  I didn't see Craaaaiiiiiiig David there though.

The venue was the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park, Knightsbridge. The party was held in the Ballroom and Carlyle Room.  The Ballroom oozed of 24-carat gilding, breathtaking chandeliers and dramatic floor to ceiling windows.  Apparently this is where HM Queen Elizabeth II learned to dance here with her sister, the late Princess Margaret.  Click on the link and you'll see photos of the regal staircase you'd walk up after entering the exclusive red carpet entrance from Knightsbridge.

Now it was this entrance that I was almost squashed under a frenzy of paparazzi as I arrived. Seconds from stepping onto the red carpet, a car literally crossed my path and pulled up kerbside. The paps went nuts. Shouts of "it's becks" rang out, assuming it was Posh they meant. Hardly, Victoria was most likey in Milan watching David lose to Man Utd at the San Siro.

Anyway, regardless of this, the silver car door swung out and two lovely ladies stepped out, Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud and Kimberley Walsh.  My camera was to hand anyway and whipped it out at took my own contributing flash.  Below shows that very moment.

In fact, once inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, I walked past the two of them having their photo taken inside.  This is the photo at that very moment, if the camerman zoomed out just 1 foot, you'd see me walking past Kimberly.

Other parties that were reported included Warner Music's Chinawhite bash which apparently had Jay-Z, but others say he was at the West End club Merah Long with JLS.

EMI entertained at the Supperclub in Notting Hill with Robbie Williams making a brief visit with girlfriend Ayda Field, and others including James Corden, Freddie Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp.

Sony BMG were at the Kensington Hotel where Alexandra Burke and apparently JLS were seen. Those JLS boys must have done rounds that night. Why not, being a Brit winner is something to show off!

Kasabian were hosting a War Child charity concert at the O2 Sheperds Bush Empire where appearances from Noel Gallagher, Cat Deeley, Jamie Winstone, Alfie Allen and Gemma Anderton showed face.

More Videos

A video summary of the night can be seen on Sky News footage.

Or watch some of the videos of the Brit Awards on the ITV website.

The Morning After

With very little sleep and residing in a budget hotel for just over 4 hours, I walked past Earls Court to jump on the tube.   The clear blue sky, near silence and crisp air was a complete contrast to the production held the night before, as seen below.