The censorship of these statements has lead to concerns from artists about how musicians should feel empowered to be political. Indie-underdog CMAT, nominated for International Artist Of The Year, stated she was “not a big fan of anyone trying to argue that art is not a political place” and that “everything is politics. But more than ever, art is politics because you don’t get to make art in a fascist state. Fascism is on the rise in every single country in the world.”

She had previously criticised Berlin film Festival jury’s Wim Wenders, who stated that cinema should “stay out of politics”. The Irish singer shunned Wenders’ statement as she commented on “fascism rearing its ugly head in Ireland, its showing its ugly head all over the UK and don’t even get me started on America.”

“It’s cowardice,” She said in interview with The Guardian, “And I think it is showing that these people are extremely separate from how normal people live their everyday lives. You know, they’ve become successful artists. Become successful musicians, film-makers, and so they have wiped their hands clean of having to do anything with the working classes or having to do anything with anyone who is oppressed in any nation because they have the luxury of doing that. And I don’t think that’s fair.”

Theo Ellis, drummer of UK Group of The Year BRIT winners Wolf Alice, said he felt it was left to musicians to speak out on current political affairs because of the lack of coverage in traditional media.

“[Musicians] have the power to expose people to information they might not have got somewhere else,” he said.

UK Group of The Year 2026 BRIT winners Wolf Alice on the red carpet. CREDIT: Ian West/PA Images via Getty Image

Alternative/rock category nominees Wet Leg also voiced political concerns on the red carpet. “I think that to be apolitical is political,” stated frontwoman Rhian Teasdale. The group’s guitarist Joshua Omead Mobaraki also commented on the rise of Reform UK, saying he “[doesn’t] want UK Reform to win any seats.”

Hip-hop king of the UK scene Loyle Carner shared similar concerns about UK Reform. “It’s scary times we’re living in. But it’s such low-hanging fruit. I feel, in my circle, or the echo chamber I exist in, to say that I hate Nigel Farage … it’s not hard to say that.”

Artist of the year runner-up Rebecca Taylor AKA Self Esteem expressed sympathy with other musicians who felt their political statements were being censored. “I just can’t not say what I think because it’s too frightening. I’m genuinely terrified that we’re going into a dark place, darker than where we are already.”

Alongside the nominees, comedian Jack Whitehall who was this year’s award presenter had his comments axed from the broadcast, notably a joke about Peter Mandelson. Whitehall joked that he spotted Mandelson sitting amongst a ‘politicians table’. Former Labour grandee Mandelson was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office, with investigation into allegations that he leaked sensitive information to sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Geese-drummer Max Bassin also had part of his speech censored from broadcasting as he accepted the award for International Group Of The Year. He made it as far as, “What’s up the Brits! I just want to say-” before the remaining speech was censored.

“Free Palestine, f*ck ICE, R.I.P. Mani, let’s go Geese,” he stated.

Once a seemingly neutral ground for politics, music and culture intersecting, the BRITs have taken a much stricter approach to political statements. In previous years, several political moments were captured on the award’s stage. 1995’s awards saw R&B royalty Prince perform a silent protest against his record label dispute, appearing onstage with “SLAVE” written on his cheek. Stormzy also utilised the stage for political input during his 2018 performance where he spoke out on the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire, confronting Theresa May as he rapped “Where’s that money for Grenfell? You criminals.”

The sensitivity regarding political statements has been amplified across many awards ceremonies this year. In the BAFTAs last week, My Father’s Shadow director Akinola Davies announced “Free Palestine” during his acceptance speech for Best Debut by A British Writer, Director or Producer. This remark was edited out of the BBC broadcast.

In the Grammy awards ceremony last month, several artists including Hailey and Justin Bieber and Joni Mitchell were seen wearing pin badges that read “ICE out”. The censorship controversy is particularly prevalent due to what producers are ruling out as acceptable versus what is unacceptable. At the BAFTAs, John Davidson used a racial slur onstage that was didn’t get censored during broadcasting. An official apology was made owed to the activist’s Tourette’s Syndrome, but many have called the outburst “unacceptable”. The incident has sparked conversations about political censorship seeming unjustified comparatively.

No official announcements about the censorships of these statements has been made by the BRIT awards.

In a setback for platforms like Viagogo and StubHub, which legally generate hundreds of millions annually by reselling tickets for music events and more, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has, for the first time, endorsed a cap on secondary ticket prices. While reselling tickets for concerts and theatre performances remains legal, this measure would effectively prohibit the practice. Some touts have previously faced jail time for using fraudulent tactics, though not for reselling itself. 

The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority has endorsed a price cap on ticket resale. That could mean more of the money spent on live events makes it to artists and venues, rather than predatory third parties. pic.twitter.com/XhwTSrSCts

— Future of Music Coalition (@future_of_music) March 24, 2025

Labour included a price cap of up to 10% above face value in its 2024 election manifesto, responding to widespread frustration over professional resellers and ticketing platforms inflating prices for sought-after acts like Ed Sheeran and Oasis.  The proposed policy posed such a significant threat to ticket resellers that many of the UK’s most active touts convened in secret to strategise against it. However, the CMA’s strong endorsement could be a decisive factor in whether the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) follows through with implementing the cap. 

 

 

 

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Previously, the CMA had stopped short of recommending strict price controls, instead focusing on enforcing existing consumer protection laws, even taking legal action when necessary. But in a submission to a DCMS consultation, the watchdog highlighted persistent issues in the secondary ticketing market that continue to harm consumers. These include large-scale, sometimes illegal, bulk purchases by touts, failure to provide accurate ticket information, and “speculative selling” – a deceptive practice where sellers list tickets they do n to yet possess, gambling on securing them later. 

These CMA argued that a price cap would “shield consumers from excessive resale prices,” provided it was rigorously enforced. It also emphasised that the government must crack down on violators, including those reselling tickets on social media platforms, where consumer protection laws are often lacking. They also cautioned that resale platforms might respond by raising booking fees to offset lost revenue, stressing that any new legislation must include provisions to prevent this. 

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Adam Webb, from the music industry campaign group FanFair Alliance, described the CMA’s stance as a significant shift in the fight against ticket touting: “They clearly acknowledge that this industry remains plagued by unlawful activities. If properly enforced, a price cap would deal a major setback to Viagogo and its suppliers.” 

A 2019 CMA report revealed that Viagogo and StubHub sold 1.9 million tickets in the UK that year, totalling £350 million in sales, with more than half resold above face value. StubHub International pointed to research from Bradshaw Advisory suggesting that regions enforcing resale bans or price caps – such as Victoria, Australia and Ireland – experience ticket fraud rates nearly four times higher than the UK. It warned that if UK fraud levels rose to match those figures, consumers could face £1.2 billion in annual fraud-related losses. 

On morrisseycentral.com, The Smiths’ frontman’s personal blog, Morrissey stated that, “I invented the group name, the song-titles, the album titles, the artwork, the vocal melodies, and all of the lyrical sentiments came from my heart … and so it’s a bit like saying Mick Jagger had nothing to do with the Stones.” Grandiose comparisons to Mick Jagger aside, Morrissey believes that other ex-Smiths members are taking credit for his work. In reference to the Smiths’ 1983 signing to Geoff Travis’ Rough Trade records, Morrissey said: “Several news sites now claim that the initial meeting at Rough Trade Records was with “Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke,”. Morrisey’s website lacks any citation or direct reference to the “several news sites” he mentions. A quick google search will reveal that Wikipedia and several major news publications credit both Morrissey and Marr with the signing.

While the specific claims made by the 64-year-old singer may be unverified, it is true that many fans and industry veterans have turned their back on Morrissey. However, rather than a result of greedy ex-band-members, Morrissey’s poor reputation is the result of his right-wing political opinions. Although The Smiths’ original material expressed relatively progressive messaging around class, the monarchy, and organised religion, Morrissey’s more recent affiliations with far-right politics has pushed him away from the mainstream.

In a 2019 performance on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, the singer wore a badge that featured the logo of the now-defunct For Britain Party. For Britain was a far-right fringe party led by Anne Marie Waters that promoted an anti-Islamic, anti-immigration policies which was host to ex-members of the British Nationalist Party (BNP) who were deemed too extreme for the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Speaking with Fiona Dodwell on blogsite Tremr in 2018, Morrissey expressed sympathy for Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, saying: “it’s very obvious that Labour or the Tories do not believe in free speech… I mean, look at the shocking treatment of Tommy Robinson”. For those who don’t know, Tommy Robinson is the far-right nationalist founder of the English Defence League (EDL), who has been convicted of multiple crimes that include assault of a police officer, ownership of a false passport, and the stalking of a journalist.

Morrissey has an esteemed past and a solidified position in British music cannon which will never change however, Morrissey’s claim of “cancel culture beings at home” mirrors that of many allegedly disgraced celebrities whose politics frequently land them in hot water. It is not ex-band-members who are tarnishing the legacy of the Smiths, but it is instead the reactionary far-right politics which he continues to promote.

Placebo Singer Brian Molko Under Investigation in Italy After Calling Country’s Prime Minister ‘Fascist’ and ‘Racist’ https://t.co/YxPMzqiJMC

— Variety (@Variety) July 18, 2023

Prosecutors based in Turin, Italy have opened an investigation into Molko’s comments after Placebo performed at the Sonic Park Festival in Stupinigi last week. Molko’s comments were directed at Italy’s current serving Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who is the leader of the far right party Brothers of Italy-a political organisation with foundations linking back to fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Observers and critics have branded Meloni a far-right neo-fascist but the Italian Prime Minister has consistently denied this association.

During the band’s set, Molko let the crowd know his opinions of the leader, shouting in Italian, “Giorgia Meloni, piece of shit, fascist, racist.” These remarks have landed the singer in hot water in the Mediterranean country with the judicial arm of the nation now seeking an investigation into the comments.

Italy have instituted a criminal code that prohibits the public defamation of the Republic and is punishable with a fine ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 Euros. The law covers any defamation made toward the government, parliament, the courts or the army. Italy has, since 2013, revised their criminal defamation laws to fall more in line with European Union standards and defamation no longer carries a term of imprisonment-although the country’s defamation laws still bear some criticisms from the EU.

Giorgia Meloni leads Italy’s most right-wing coalition government since the second world war https://t.co/929nSNjHXK

— NME (@NME) July 18, 2023

Neither Placebo, their representatives or the authorities in Turin have commented on the investigation however, members of Meloni’s party have demanded an apology from the band. Brothers of Italy politician Augusta Montaruli said, “we cannot let an international event that attracts so many people (to Italy) be ruined by filthy words which, amidst a general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic.” Molko and Placebo’s fans have supported the singer.

based brian molkopic.twitter.com/zkHDr9tuNe

— NoFixedAdobe (@NoFixedAdobe) July 18, 2023

Late last year, Molko and Placebo requested via social media, that fans who attend live performances refrain from recording them on their phones. The band issued a plea to their supporters to enjoy the event in the moment and, last month while the band were playing in Dublin, Molko even halted the show to remind concert goers to adhere to their no phones policy. Video recordings of the comments made by Molko at Sonic Park Festival have found their way onto the internet despite the band’s request for no filming.