This years Brit Awards nominations are as uninspiring as usual…

I don’t know why I’m surprised, especially after last years very drab Brit Awards. Some part of me had hoped for a bit of excitement and drama this time round, but today’s Brit Awards nomination announcement has well and truly killed that hope.

Why, I hear you ask? Because Bastille have the most nominations. During the whole of 2013, the best music coming out of Britain was Bastille? Really? I thought they were just a fey Mumford covers band. But apparently they are one of the top five bands in the country who released one of the top five albums of any British band in 2013, made one of the biggest ‘breakthroughs’ of any British act and released one of the best singles in 2013.

I’m glad we have an established institution like the Brits to keep us up to date with this kind of thing. Here I was thinking CHVRCHES made a pretty good ‘breakthrough’ last year and Atoms For Peace and My Bloody Valentine made pretty good albums – but thankfully the Brits are here to tell me that, actually, Bastille were better than them.

At least David Bowie has got a couple of nods (British Male Solo Artist and Mastercard British Album Of The Year), and Disclosure are challenging Bastille with four nominations of their own – they’re all in the same categories as well so hopefully Bastille will come away with nothing.

Arctic Monkeys have got a chance of making history with their nominations for British Group and Album Of The Year, if they win them they will be the first band to ever win the prestigious ‘double’ on three separate occasions – beating Manic Street Preachers and Coldplay.

The full nominations are below, the 2014 Brit Awards ceremony is taking place on 19 February at London’s O2 Arena. So far Arctic Monkeys and Katy Perry have been confirmed as performers on the night.

Brit Awards 2014 nominations

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST
David Bowie
Jake Bugg
James Blake
John Newman
Tom Odell

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Birdy
Ellie Goulding
Jessie J
Laura Marling
Laura Mvula

BRITISH GROUP
Arctic Monkeys
Bastille
Disclosure
One Direction
Rudimental

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Bastille
Disclosure
Laura Mvula
London Grammar
Tom Odell

CRITICS’ CHOICE
Sam Smith (Winner)
Chlöe Howl
Ella Eyre

BRITISH SINGLE
Bastille, ‘Pompeii’
Calvin Harris/Ellie Goulding, ‘I Need Your Love’
Disclosure Ft AlunaGeorge, ‘White Noise’
Ellie Goulding, ‘Burn’
John Newman, ‘Love Me Again’
Naughty Boy Ft Sam Smith, ‘La La La’
Olly Murs, ‘Dear Darlin”
One Direction, ;One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)’
Passenger, ‘Let Her Go’
Rudimental Ft Ella Eyre ‘Waiting All Night ‘

MASTERCARD BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Arctic Monkeys, AM
Bastille, Bad Blood
David Bowie, The Next Day
Disclosure, Settle
Rudimental, Home

BRITISH PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Ethan Johns
Flood (Mark Ellis) & Alan Moulder Paul Epworth

INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST
Bruno Mars
Drake
Eminem
John Grant
Justin Timberlake

INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
Janelle Monae
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Lorde
Pink

INTERNATIONAL GROUP
Arcade Fire
Daft Punk
Haim
Kings of Leon
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis