BRIT Awards 2024: Oli Sykes takes swipe at new voting system as BMTH win first-ever award

Bring Me the Horizon's Oli Sykes thanked the BRITs organisers for making the voting system "so complicated" as the rock band picked up their first-ever award.

The lead singer of the 'Shadow Moses' hitmakers took to the stage at the BRIT Awards with Mastercard on Saturday (02.03.24) as they were given the Alternative Rock Act Award and joked that only their fans could be bothered to vote after organisers of Britain's biggest night in music decided to start up a diversity drive by increasing nominations from five to 10.

After collecting the award, Oli said: "Right, I don't know what to say because I didn't think we'd be winning this. Cheers to the BRITs for making a voting system so complicated only our fans could be a**** to vote, I guess. Thanks to our fans, it's bloody insane this. I'm not gonna say owt else, cheers, thanks, very good."

The rock band - which also consists of drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia, and bassist Matt Kean - had beat off competition from Blur, The Rolling Stones, Young Fathers

and Yussef Dayes for the coveted accolade.

The change came about following a backlash after they introduced genderless categories for the 2023 event as part of a diversity drive.

Last year, the Artist of the Year gong was won by former One Direction singer Harry Styles and no female artists were in the running for the trophy.

A source told The Sun about how bosses are now expanding the category – again in the hope it will add more diversity to the nominees list: “The Brits’ decision to create genderless categories was huge and they’ve now tweaked it again to try to make it more inclusive.

“The move to go genderless was meant to be progressive, and by making this change they are hoping that it reflects this.”