We're going into a dark place': Brit awards artists voice alarm over Reform UK's rise

"Everything is politics. But more than ever, art is politics because you don't get to make art in a fascist state. Fascism is on the rise in every single country in the world. It's showing its ugly head in Ireland, it's showing its ugly head all over the UK and don't even get me started on America."

"It's cowardice. And I think it is showing that these people are extremely separate from how normal people live their everyday lives. You know, they've become successful artists. Become successful musicians, film-makers, and so they have wiped their hands clean of having to do anything with the working classes or having to do anything with anyone who is oppressed in any nation because they have the luxury of doing that."

"[Musicians] have the power to expose people to information they might not have got somewhere else. He said he felt it was left to musicians to speak out on issues such as the genocide in Gaza because of a lack of coverage in traditional media."

Multiple artists at the Brit Awards expressed concerns about rising fascism and emphasized art's political nature. CMAT argued that art cannot exist separately from politics, particularly in contexts of oppression and fascism. She criticized filmmaker Wim Wenders for suggesting cinema should avoid politics, calling such positions cowardly and disconnected from working-class realities. Wolf Alice's Theo Ellis highlighted musicians' power to expose audiences to information unavailable through traditional media, noting artists have taken responsibility for covering issues like the Gaza genocide due to inadequate mainstream news coverage. The artists collectively advocated for musicians' right and duty to engage politically.

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