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Brit Awards to leave London for Manchester after 48 years

Next year's Brits are to be held at Co-op Live in Manchester.

Dr Jo Twist, CEO of the BPI, told the BBC: "We've had a fantastic history in London for nearly 50 years, and we just feel that now is the time to make a bold leap into other parts of the UK to the fans. New Order, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, The Bee Gees, 10CC, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Ian Brown, Doves, James, Blossoms and Badly Drawn Boy have all been nominated for Brit Awards over the years, but none of those acts have ever won. One interesting potential storyline for 2026 is that if the Brit Awards were to bring back the best live act category (last presented in 2013 to Coldplay) then a possible winner might be one of the biggest Manchester bands of all time.

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