Catch up blog post. It was the Brits on Tuesday, so I thought I'd give my quick opinions on that. Plus, I went to see a dance show called "Shoes" yesterday evening, and it was fantastic, so just a few things about that.
For me, the Brits 2011 was really good, in that yes, we had the usual predictable winners, but there were some welcome surprises in there too. Take British Female Solo Artist for example. I was fully expecting either Cheryl Cole or Ellie Goulding to take the statue, considering the radio support (and such) they've had over the past year. However, as much as I quite enjoy Ellie Goulding's music, it was actually Laura Marling who received the award, which was a welcoming surprise. Accepted humbly, it was good to see someone who has made a perhaps understated, definitely brilliant album in the past year get the award. If you haven't heard "I Speak Because I Can," I highly recommend buying it.
Mumford and Sons were another shock (in a good way) of the night, picking up the award for MasterCard British Album of the Year. I personally put my money (not literally) on a win for perhaps Take That or Plan B, since a] they're both really good albums, and b] they've been hugely hyped since their release. However, perhaps it was the Mercury Music Prize nomination that clenched it for Mumford, although I'm in no way dismissing how good a record it is. Again, I would highly recommend listening to 'Sigh No More.'
Arcade Fire, following their recent Grammy Win, deservedly picked up awards for International Group and Album, whilst, unfortunately, Justin Bieber grabbed International Breakthrough Act.
In terms of performances, Adele, Plan B and Take That were standouts for me. Adele was quite possibly my favourite, because it showed just how beautiful her voice really is. Tinie Tempah's performance was also pretty flawless, full of energy (perhaps because he'd just deservedly won 2 awards). Rihanna disappointed voice-wise, although through no fault of her own, singing live less than expected, reportedly due to contracting laryngitis. Paloma Faith put a damper on the Cee-Lo Green performance, which had started on a high, which I was highly annoyed by.
All-in-all, with James Corden being a thankfully superb host, The Brits 2011 was a great show.
A full list of winners can be found here:
http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/2011 (Scroll down and it's on the right)
Onto Shoes. This was something organised by my University as part of my (Film &) Theatre modules, but as I couldn't go on the day they organised, I went last night with a friend. And what a good decision it turned out to be. When we arrived, there was a red carpet outside... unfortunately not for us as hoped. After waiting inside for a while, Strictly judge Craig Revel-Horwood (is that how you spell it?!) walks in a lovely shiny suit and silver shoes. Having done latin dancing myself, and being a bit of a fan of Strictly Come Dancing, I got rather excited- something which was heightened when I realised there was a Strictly 'event' inside. To my surprise/delight, I then later saw Bruno Tonioli, pretty much completing the evening for me.
But enough about Strictly. 'Shoes' is a dance show marking the history of shoes, plus the highs and lows of shoe wearing, and a handy step-by-step guide to walking in heels. With live singing and a visible live band in tow, the show turned out to be much more than I expected. There was also humour involved, something I'd never thought about, as I'd assumed it to be just another standard dance show.
What's nice about this show, is that it doesn't just showcase one kind of dance. There's something for pretty much everybody, be it Latin American, Salsa, Tap, Ballet... etc. It was interesting to see how they were all linked not only to each other, but to the shoes they were showing-off.
Shoes is a refreshing change to the dance shows I've known. Well worth a watch as it's only on until the 3rd April. The trailer is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voBKMe7zfuM
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