Truly a family affair, it feels like everyone in the building decided to invite theirs down to the big rowdy awards show tonight. It lends a lovely kind of dimension to a ceremony usually known for its soaring levels of debauchery – mostly, the sort of things you would never want your parents to hear about.
Tonight, alongside the scores of lager-waving bands brandishing bottles in the air and Sam Fender announcing he wants to neck everybody in the building, the incredibly lovely vision of Jessie Ware and her mum Lenny having a boogie to younger Ware’s latest album as they scoop up the prize for their brilliant foodie podcast Table Manners is the most wholesome tonic imaginable.
When Berwyn is awarded Best New Act From The UK by Nova Twins, the Trinidad-born, London based talent doesn’t have a speech prepared. Instead of waffling, the producer, songwriter and rapper asked his mum to collect his middle finger trophy for him instead. Naaawh!
And as the legendary trip-hop pioneer and creative innovator Neneh Cherry steps up to collect her NME Icon award, the honor of presenting it is left to none other than her daughter Mabel – who beams with visible pride as her mum picks up the gong.
Maybe they were all following in the footsteps of Little Simz – though the rapper picks up her award for Best Solo Act From The UK alone this time, she surely set the trend for bringing mums along for moral support when the best double-act since Dick and Dom attended the Brits earlier this year.
Essentially, if we’ve learned anything tonight, they’re the best wingmen apart from Francis Bourgeois – who finished the night by doing the Cha Cha Slide with Sam Fender.