Oh Joy! The BRIT Awards.

The BRITs are coming. No, this isn't a German public information warning people called Jurgan to put their beach towels on sun loungers, but a muddled attempt to explain why I find the drunken mess of the British Music Industry's annual knees-up such a turn off.

You see, when I was getting into music in the mid 90's the big winners were the bands producing music I liked. Blur, Oasis, the Manics were all "main" winners three consecutive years. So it’s not that I particularly think the wrong people win it. It’s not that the system of letting the public vote for some awards is necessarily a bad thing (see Belle and Sebastian “stealing” Steps’ award in 1999 with much hilarity). It’s not even that it’s on ITV. Honest.

I just think it’s overhyped - too in love with it’s self. Suffering the problems I most associate with the music industry. Too much liking and no-one saying, "Yeah, that last Oasis album did sound like the previous three", or, "Why does Chris Martin wave his hands around like a complete berk when he’s singing ". It's almost as if it’s the self-appointed spokesperson for the music we’ve all been listening to over the last year which no-one actually appointed. It’s also a bit of a popularity contest. Those awards that aren’t decided by the public vote are decided by a panel of “experts”. But because of the high profile nature, these people appear more likely to go for the populist option for fear of getting lynched in the press following the ceremony. Look at the nominations this year for Best International Group and Best International Album. They’re the same. There’s no originality, no thinking outside the box.

I also think it’s too much of a compromise. It’s doing that very British thing of trying to please everyone and pleasing very few. Perfect case in point is nominating Girls Aloud and Radiohead in the same category. I think it’s called Radio 1 syndrome.

It also loses some significance because it is a place to be seen. The non-entity celebrities that blight our life use it as a marketing tool. Do they really care or contribute the music industry any more than the rest of us? If not, why do they get free tickets, a slap up meal and a load of free alcohol?

Or maybe it’s because if I’m told something is fantastic (as all radio stations do, because all the DJ’s have tickets…or their bosses have tickets at least), then I find it much harder to like because it never quite reaches it's hype. Or really simply I just don’t like it and I don’t have to justify myself.

And now it’s gone and make me write a shitty blog that whines like an All American Rejects song. I hate the BRITs.