Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell urges support for grassroots venues after BRITs Best Group win
wolf alice won Best British Group at the 2026 BRITs in Manchester, and frontwoman Ellie Rowsell used her acceptance speech to press for help for grassroots music venues. The win — and Rowsell’s onstage plea — highlights reports of venue closures and job losses across the UK live sector.
Wolf Alice accept Best British Group at Co-op Live Arena
The award came on February 28 at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, where the north London band were announced Best British Group — a prize they also won in 2022. The trophy was handed to the band by Shaun Ryder and Bez of Happy Mondays, who chanted "Manchester" as they took the stage, and Rowsell used the moment to thank those who helped the band in their early days, including fans who bought a piece of their "atrocious merch. "
Rowsell’s speech named venues and the people who opened doors
Rowsell specifically thanked "all of the pubs and clubs and grassroots venues across the country where we quite literally learned to play our instruments and write our songs, " adding, "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 lent money, drove them around the country, let them sleep on their floors, bought tickets to early shows and even bought a piece of their atrocious merch, joking, "Although I don’t think anyone actually did that, that’s completely fair enough. "
Numbers cited: closures, job losses and profits
Rowsell invoked hard figures in her remarks, 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. ” She also referenced a January report that found 30 venues closed in the 12 months up to July 2025 and that a further 48 ceased operating as gig spaces. Rowsell said it "shouldn’t be a battle to survive for bands and artists" and that the path to a music career "shouldn’t feel like a golden ticket, but a viable career decision for anyone from any background. "
Camera scramble and racy fashion drew attention on the night
The band’s appearance also attracted attention for its wardrobe choices. Camera teams at the ceremony battled to keep the frontwoman’s nipples out of frame as the group pulled off racy fashion onstage, even as they used their platform as Group of the Year winners to highlight the challenges facing local venues.
Competitive win, age and wider Brit Awards moments
Ellie Rowsell, 33, and her band took the prize ahead of acts that included Pulp, The Last Dinner Party and Wet Leg. The ceremony also featured presenters and table-side commentary: presenter Jack Whitehall quipped that the event was "absolutely swarming with celebrities" and name-checked figures in the room, and a joke about Lord Peter Mandelson was removed from televised coverage.
Recent work and a busy live schedule ahead
wolf alice released their fourth album, The Clearing, last year; the album received a five-star review on release and secured the Number 11 spot on a 50 best albums of 2025 list, while the single "Bloom Baby Bloom" placed at Number 12 on a 50 best songs list. The band are set to play a huge outdoor show at London’s Finsbury Park this summer with The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li, Rachel Chinouriri, Keo and Florence Road. They are also due to play the Trans Mission charity show at London’s OVO Arena Wembley in March and to headline the Teenage Cancer Trust series at the Royal Albert Hall that same month. Other upcoming live dates include headline slots at Tramlines Festival, Kendal Calling and Eden Sessions, plus appearances at TRNSMT, Mad Cool and NOS Alive, among others.
