Blur set for Brits showdown with The Rolling Stones after Damon Albarn criticised new album
FORGET the battles of old between Brit pop old guard Blur and Oasis.
At this year’s ceremony, Damon Albarn’s Blur are going toe to toe with the Rolling Stones for Alternative/Rock Act.
And it could get hairy.
Damon mouthed off about Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood in December, claiming their new album Hackney Diamonds was “exactly the same music but not that good”.
But he might regret that if he runs into them at the bash.
The Stones’ Brits nod is their first since 2013, when they lost out to Coldplay in the Best Live Act category.
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Mick and co will have a point to prove against Blur, who are also nominated in the Group and Album categories, following huge comeback record The Ballad Of Darren.
Damon – who will be at the bash with his bandmates, cheese-connoisseur bassist Alex James, guitarist Graham Coxon and drummer Dave Rowntree – badmouthed the Stones last month.
He said of their lead single Angry, which starred Us actress Sydney Sweeney: “I listened to their new song and watched this horrible music video showing them at different stages of their lives on billboards. And this young woman objectified.
“The truth is, they’ve become worse.
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“Worse at persisting to stay themselves.
“That’s something I don’t understand.
“Making exactly the same music but not that good.”
Fisticuffs between the Stones and Blur would be hilarious, given they are men of a certain age.
But my money is on yoga-obsessed fitness freak Mick – even if he is 80.
SHE is up against singers including Kylie Minogue, Sza, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Ray in the International Artist category at The Brits – and Taylor Swift has been getting into the party spirit early.
The Shake It Off singer got together with her best pals Cara Delevingne and Brittany Mahomes for a night out in New York.
After finally sticking her Christmas party wear in the back of her wardrobe, Taylor pulled out a cool black dress which she wore with biker boots.
The last time I was with Taylor at the Brit Awards, she hooked up with Calvin Harris – who is up for three awards at the ceremony – and they went on to date for 15 months.
Taylor is well known for writing songs about her exes, and Calvin seemed to give her a taste of her own medicine with his 2016 song My Way, which was all about moving on from someone who wasn’t good for you.
Taylor and Calvin are both happily coupled up now but if they run into each other at the O2, I think it could be pretty awkward.
No one ever wants to run into their ex at a party.
But then again, Calvin is up for Song of the Year for Miracle with his ex Ellie Goulding – so he might end up collecting an award with one…
IT’S good news for feminists everywhere but terrible news for B&Q, which will see its sale of pitchforks nosedive after the Brits tweaked their genderless categories.
After upping the number of nominations to ten rather than five, this year’s categories are packed to the brim with women.
There was outcry during the 2023 ceremony when not a single woman got a nod in Artist of the Year.
But this time around – six of the artists are female.
And in International Artist of the Year, nine of the nominees are women.
Quite simply: we now have females coming out of our ears and, hopefully, everyone who got in a right huff about it last year will now just get over it.
Bringing in genderless categories has made the Brits a far more inclusive place and really, that is what music is meant to be about.
It’s for creatives – regardless of their race, gender identity and everything in between.
The Brits made a change for the better. And, after a couple of minor tweaks, they’ve made another tweak…again for the better.
Who gives a f*** what gender nominees are?
It’s the music they make that matters.
YOU will soon be able to vote for your favourite in the genre categories: R&B, Alternative/Rock, Dance, Pop and Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act.
The winners will be picked by a public vote run through Instagram, which will open at noon next Thursday and run until 6pm on February 15.
To have your say, you will have to head to the Brits page on Instagram and comment on the category Reel using an artist specific hashtag.
For all the info, go to . I’m relying on you to choose wisely.
Bit of an Ed ache
THEY’VE landed three No1 albums between them in the past 12 months but the Brits is going to be a low key affair for two of my favourites, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi, as they’ve only picked up one nod each.
Ed’s personal track Eyes Closed has been nominated for song of the year, which will go head to head against Lewis’ own tear-jerker Wish You The Best.
Both Ed and Lewis have enjoyed their fair share of gongs over the years - with Ed winning seven and Lewis having two - but it’s a shame they didn’t get more recognition.
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In fact, none of the records nominated for album of the year are in the top 40 list of 2023’s best sellers.
Mind you, if I had my way, Simply Red would have got a nod or two as well. You can’t win them all.