Wolf Alice use BRITs win to urge support for grassroots music venues
wolf alice won Best British Group at the 2026 BRITs and frontwoman Ellie Rowsell used her acceptance speech to call for help for grassroots music venues — pressing a live-music industry concern weeks after a report detailed widespread closures and financial strain across the sector.
Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell framed her speech around grassroots venues and gratitude
Ellie Rowsell, 33, thanked venues where the band learned their craft and delivered a direct plea for small-stage support, saying: "Thank you for opening your doors to us and thank you to those who continue the fight to keep them open. " She dedicated the award to the people who helped Wolf Alice in their early years, and used her speech to highlight the precarious state of local pubs, clubs and grassroots spaces.
Ceremony details: Manchester stage, presenters and past win
The ceremony took place on February 28 at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. The north London band collected the Best British Group prize, a title they had previously won in 2022. The trophy was presented by Shaun Ryder and Bez of Happy Mondays; the presenters were greeted with chants of "Manchester" as they took to the stage.
Rowsell cited hard figures on closures, jobs and venue finances
Rowsell invoked sector-wide statistics in her speech, saying: "It’s worth mentioning that despite the billions of pounds the live sector contributes to our economy, last year 30 independent venues closed down, 6, 000 jobs were lost and over half the small venues reported making no profit at all. " A separate report in January had found 30 venues closed in the 12 months up to July 2025 and a further 48 had ceased operating as gig spaces.
Onstage anecdotes: early help, ‘atrocious merch’ and a wry aside
Rowsell thanked the people who supported the band’s beginnings, naming the kinds of favours that made those early years possible: people who lent them money, drove them around the country, let them sleep on floors and bought tickets to their early shows. She even named the band’s early merchandise — "a piece of our atrocious merch" — and joked: "Although I don't think anyone actually did that, that's completely fair enough. " She argued it should not be a struggle to survive as a band or artist and that pursuing music should be a viable career decision for anyone from any background.
Camera moment, fashion and the band’s upcoming dates and accolades
Television coverage captured a frenetic moment as camera operators scrambled to keep Rowsell’s outfit in frame without exposing more than intended; the frontwoman’s racy fashion prompted a concerted effort by the camera team. Beyond the moment, wolf alice have a packed live schedule: they released their fourth album, The Clearing, last year, which earned a five-star review at release and secured the Number 11 spot on a 50-best-albums-of-2025 list. The single "Bloom Baby Bloom" reached Number 12 on a 50-best-songs list for the year.
The band are set to play a large outdoor show at London’s Finsbury Park this summer, where they will be joined by The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li, Rachel Chinouriri, Keo and Florence Road. They are also due to appear at a Trans Mission charity show at OVO Arena Wembley in March and to headline the Teenage Cancer Trust series at the Royal Albert Hall that same month. Additional dates include headline slots at Tramlines Festival, Kendal Calling and Eden Sessions, plus appearances at TRNSMT, Mad Cool, NOS Alive and more.
Competition beaten and wider broadcast note
The win saw the band beat nominated acts including Pulp, The Last Dinner Party and Wet Leg. Separately, coverage of the ceremony included the removal of a joke about Lord Peter Mandelson from broadcast coverage of the show.
