The BRIT Awards took place in Manchester on Saturday (Feb. 28), the first time that the ceremony had been held outside of London in its nearly-five decade history.
The city of Manchester has relished the role of hosting the awards, not least because of the vibrant music scene and performers that dominated pubs, clubs and bars across the Northern capital.
2026’s BRITs ceremony looked to meet the challenge and put on as compelling a show as possible with a stacked lineup of local and international talent. Its Saturday night broadcast slot on ITV (and YouTube) meant that acts certainly brought their A-game.
Harry Styles gave his first live performance since 2023 to open the show, kicking off a comeback that is set to continue in the live sphere throughout the year. He’ll play a seven-city residency, including a record-breaking 12-night stand at London’s Wembley Stadium.
A number of acts made their BRITs debuts, with Alex Warren, Sombr and Rosalía attending and performing for the first time (though only the latter came home with a trophy). Olivia Dean, the night’s big winner, also hit the BRITs stage for the first time, and looked like a seasoned pro.
Following the Grammys, the night hosted a tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July 2025. This time, Robbie Williams took on vocal duties with a number of Ozzy’s former bandmates on hand.
All in, it made for a diverse and engaging lineup of performers throughout the three-hour ceremony – and these are the Billboard‘s rankings.
Alex Warren
Despite holding the No. 1 spot for 13 weeks in 2025, Warren still feels like a relatively new proposition to U.K. audiences. His performance of that chart-topping song “Ordinary” was accomplished, though its response in the room might suggest that its not quite a beloved anthem just yet, despite Warren’s strong vocal credentials.
HUNTR/X
Pre-recorded performances are always on the back foot during live ceremonies. Recorded outside the venue earlier in the week, the trio ripped through their U.K. No. 1 single “Golden” to give K-pop its first representation at the BRIT Awards, with EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna nailing their vocal parts. But however much portions of the audience joined in with the choruses, it ultimately struggled to maintain sustained momentum and attention.
RAYE
The British singer opted for a two-song medley by combining her U.K. No. 1 single “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” with brand-new ballad “Nightingale Lane.” The former’s high-octane sass and strut had to give way for the more contemplative pace of the medley’s second half, a move that showed off her vocal chops but lost a few audience members in the room.
Wolf Alice
Appearing after they won their group of the year category, the London-formed rock band opted for “The Sofa” from fourth LP The Clearing in their mid-ceremony performance. It gave lead singer Ellie Rowsell room to show off her superb vocal chops, and a laidback set design gave the spot real intimacy and class.
Sombr
In a fairly controversy-free evening, Sombr attempted to inject chaos by enlisting a fake gatecrasher who jumped on stage and shoved the lithe rocker during a performance of new single “Homewrecker.” He played the role well and shrugged off the fake fracas before heading into “Back to Friends,” a song with lyrics that bring its own drama and went down extremely well with a lively Manchester crowd.
Ozzy Osbourne Tribute
A number of acts have now honored Ozzy Osbourne at awards shows and live events in the last 12 months, with Yungblud’s “Changes” at Villa Park remaining the gold standard. Robbie Williams stepped up to take on a gnarly version of 1991 track “No More Tears,” backed by Oz’s former bandmates Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde. A gnarly end to the ceremony, and a fitting tribute to a hard-as-nails rocker.
Olivia Dean
Dean is still a relatively new proposition to many U.K. music fans, particularly as a live performer. Since The Art of Loving‘s release in September 2025, the majority of her gigs have been abroad and away from home. This classy, immaculate version of “Man I Need” gave the Co-op Live crowd a taster of her upcoming U.K. arena tour, including two shows at this venue in April.
Harry Styles
Harry made his return in the ceremony’s opening moments, setting the tone for a night of high-quality performances. “Aperture,” the lead single from the upcoming Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, received its live debut and saw a varied, all-singing and all-dancing production. He appeared to relish being back on stage again and the Co-op Live audience loved him back — the upcoming Together, Together residency could be a ravetastic delight if this performance is anything to go by.
Rosalía
Jack Whitehall joked before Rosalía’s performance that this would be the most “highbrow performance ever broadcast on ITV,” a sly poke at the ceremony’s commercially-minded broadcaster. But her version of “Berghain” was stately, accessible and utterly thrilling. Joined by an orchestra and a vocal choir, the Catalan singer showed off her operatic range as a vocalist and was joined by Björk for an unexpected cameo. The performance’s final third paid homage to the song’s namesake club in Berlin, dishing out some hard-hitting techno beats that left the crowd stunned.
Mark Ronson
Ronson’s list of collaborators is endless, but the ones that joined him in the mid-show medley were smartly chosen. Ghostface Killah appeared for a version of their 2003 song “Ooh We,” and The Dap-Kings, the backing band for his late friend Amy Winehouse, brought some serious pomp and shimmy during a cover of “Valerie.”
Dua Lipa then emerged straddling a disco ball to sing “Dance the Night,” a song the pair wrote for 2023’s Barbie flick, and their underrated 2018 banger “Electricity.” The full spread of Ronson’s musical journey throughout his career was on display — and it was the night’s winning performance.
