Thousands of people with one thing in common; a love for music descended upon London’s O2 Arena to celebrate a successful year of music. I got tickets to go behind the cameras as it was streamed live to see what actually went down.

I’ve been watching the BRITs on TV for years and always wondered what it would actually like to be there to soak up the atmosphere, so what actually goes down?

Well for a start let’s not forget it’s broadcast live across ITV and YouTube. Before the event, and in the advert breaks, someone comes on stage to hype the crowd up and explain where the cameras will be, what reactions they want and who is performing next. One thing you do find out when you’re there is that the crowd in the pits are all members of the BRIT school, so handpicked to be there.

But onto the performances and didn’t Hugh Jackman put on a corker of an opener! It was an epic performance to entertain everyone and it certainly did the trick. Hugh performed the title track from The Greatest Showman and behind all the glitz and glamour of the costumes and ceiling dancers it was a performance to remember, and rather catchy in the process. I know we can’t have it all, but it would have been nice to have one more track from the film too, as it was the best selling album of last year.

George Ezra did well picking up Best Solo Male shortly followed by a toe-tapping rendition of Shotgun. I don’t think there was anyone in the venue not singing or nodding along, and George looked like he was having so much fun on stage. He’s a force to be reckoned with and not a bad bone in his body – I don’t think he would start beef with anybody.

Jorja Smith won Best Solo Female and performed her stunning ballad Don’t Watch Me Cry, her vocals were insanely good! The 1975 picked up the prize for Best British Group and international winners (though none attended) included The Carters for Best Group, Drake for Best Male and Ariana Grande for Best Female. It was a shame Shawn Mendes didn’t pick up an award as he attended the awards for the first time, although I bet he wished he’d stayed at home after host Jack Whitehall picked apart his latest Calvin Klein campaign.

A very pink and pop-centric performance from Little Mix got the crowd going, it was a bit to cheese-fest for me but they were energetic and gave their fans what they wanted, plus a brief appearance from Banks gave it a bit of edge. They also picked up the award for Best Video for Woman Like Me, though they’ve picked up a few BRITs in the past you could tell it meant a lot to them as they all hugged when the cameras went off.

Tom Walker managed to earn his first and well deserved Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough, and gave one of the best acceptance speeches, courtesy of his Nan. Walker has had a whirlwind of a year, and an amazing first start to this year as he looks ahead to releasing his debut album next month. I interviewed him last summer and he really is one of the nicest guys going.

Sam Fender also picked up the Critics Choice Award, the only artist to have their award before the show even started. He’s really one to look out for as he’s got one hell of a voice that will leave you with goosebumps (check out my gig review here). The Geordie lad is full of banter and the great thing about him is not only is he there to have a good time, his lyrics are beyond meaningful so he’s the best of both worlds.

One of the most anticipated performances of the night did not disappoint. Calvin Harris’s hits mashup gave something for everyone (he went on in the night to win Best Producer).

Rag N Bone Man opened with Giant, though he looked rather awkward performing his voice really was something special, and the track was as catchy as ever. Sam Smith went all diva with Promises and I loved it. He hardly looked like he was trying and anyone could see that he was loving every moment of being up on that stage.

Finally Dua Lipa with an impressive mountain set (not sure what it had to do with the song) performed One Kiss, her distinct vocals and the toe tapping beat courtesy of Harris gave everyone the opportunity to have a little bop and it was fab. Usually I’m not a massive fan of all the theatrics (Little Mix’s performance for example) but everything about this seemed to work.

The guy getting everyone pumped up while the ad break was on made a comment that made my eyebrows raise until the next performer had finished. He told the crowd in the pit that the cameras would be on them during the next act and that he only wanted to see beautiful people. It all made sense however when Jess Glynn took to the stage to sing Thursday.

It was a really simple idea; take a string (plus a few more) of girls, stick them in front of  mirror and make them take off their makeup to show everyone is beautiful with or without, but it really stood out as a performance. Maybe because it was really simple, maybe it was the lighting or costumes, or maybe because it’s a message we all near to hear no matter how many times we hear it.

I’ve admitted before that I’m not the biggest Jess Glynn fan as I often find her music to whiney, but I think she sounds better live than on the records. She surprised me that’s for sure because I was ready to hate it and I didn’t.

One Kiss by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa picked up the award for Best Song, and The 1975 picked up their second award of the evening for Best Album for A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (one thing I did notice was how short Matty is – never noticed before). Thoroughly deserved they’ve had a pretty good 12 months and a lot more to look forward to this year.

Having just taken to the stage to grab their gong (not a pun) the boys of The 1975 were soon back to entice the crowd, and the audience watching at home, into their sound with a fabulous performance of Sincerity Is Scary. Matty’s dance moves were on point and his hat was perhaps the stand out fashion statement of the night. It certainly captivated everyone watching.

Pink came to The Brits already knowing she had an award in the bag for Outstanding Contribution to Music, past winners include the likes of David Bowie and Elton John. With over a decade of hits and still managing to remain relevant to the ever-changing music scene, it’s no wonder why she won the award.

Not only were we blessed to have Pink at the awards for the first time in 16 years but we also got a ten minute medley of her greatest hits, and boy not only can she perform but she can sing too! We were treated to the lovely, Walk Me Home, Try, Just Give Me A Reason (ft Dan from Bastille) and What About Us. She really is a power house and still humbled and grounded too which is so nice to see.

The evening was a great success, not only to Jack Whitehall who offend only a few people, but we got to see some great performances and no detail (Or expense) was spared to make sure everything ran smoothly.

The only negative really, was the lack of global artists not only in attendance but also winning prizes – it’s no wonder Pink hadn’t been there for 16 years. With only three global artist awards they could do with expanding it a bit more next year into different catagories, and getting more of them to attend (like Shawn Mendes).