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Evening Standard

Lifestyle

Joe Bromley

Raye still dancing barefoot at 5am — inside the Brits afterparties

Dave Benett Jed Cullen Dua Lipa James Kelly Kylie Minogue Warner Music Rina Lipa Charli XCX Jonathan Bailey WARN

The party started at 6pm on Saturday, across the table-cloth strewn, charcoal carpeted O2 arena — at first, a sea of music biz types (most of whom pulled their work Christmas party sequins out of retirement prematurely), before the couture clad Brits streamed in off the red carpet.

Charli XCX sauntered about in an acrylic bodiced Marni gown; Olivia Dean upped the ante in a slinky, indigo Saint Laurent number and the posh girl table quickly livened up (the one hosting Straight Outta Bedales girl group The Last Dinner Party who dressed as Central Saint Martins fashion graduates).

They came in from overseas, too. Eve attempted to navigate the tight seating arrangement in black latex, exclaiming her “ass was too big” to manoeuvre herself into prime position, while Kylie Minogue happily parked up by a magnum of her own-brand (disconcertingly bright pink, rosé Prosecco). It obviously did the trick, as moments later she was drinking beer out of her high heels with presenter Roman Kemp.

Charli XCX wears Marni to the Brits, 2024 (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

A cheatsheet from the ceremony, for those not yet caught up: Dua Lipa opened the show with an extraordinary spectacle (read: 12 synchronised, suspended dancers), Ellie Goulding sang and ensured multi-coloured confetti filled every flute in sight and Raye won (pretty much) every award.

Dua Lipa opens the Brits, 2024 (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

With Kylie’s rendition of Padam Padam still ringing in ears, the room emptied as guests dashed to hand back borrowed diamonds to the baying security guards, before splitting into camps: those that popped bottles of Laurent Perrier on the Jubilee Line, and the rest who snaked out in chauffeured cars. Everyone re-convened in central London before midnight for the real party to start.

Warner Music’s ‘Party Monsters’ bash — the label who came out on top on Saturday, with Raye and Lipa both on their books — has become the night's big society staple. Certainly for the last two years, which has seen it take over the entirety of Covent Garden’s grand NoMad Hotel, in association with It-fashion publication Perfect magazine, founded by Katie Grand in 2020.

Chloe Caillet, Dua Lipa and Jessamine Bliss Bell at the Warner Music & Cîroc Vodka Brit awards after party at NoMad London, 2024 (Dave Bentt/Getty Images for Warn)

The result was a Cîroc-sipping cocktail of industry titans and the city’s hottest new youngsters — new faces for everyone, which ensured a fizz excitement you don’t get at straight BAFTA or fashion week affairs. Downstairs in the Common Decency bar (named so because Oscar Wilde was detained for an affront to common decency in 1895, when the building was still the Bow Street Magistrates' Court) Lipa, her boyfriend, actor Callum Turner, sister Rina, best friend and GCDS fashion designer Giuliano Calza and Kylie Minogue held court.

Upstairs, on a spectacular custom Warner logo carpet, every turn confronted you with a familiar face. Presenters Maya Jama, Jamie Laing and Clara Amfo mingled with actors Jonathan Bailey, Marisa Abela, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Asa Butterfield. All came punctuated with the glittering, red statuesque figure of a rouge-lipped Daniel Lismore.

Raye wears merlot red for her afterparty at The Standard (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Polishing off the London’s who’s-who were the ever present Bright Young Things — Lennon Gallagher and his girlfriend Izzy Richmond, Cora Corré, granddaughter of Vivienne Westwood, Stevie and Ned Sims, children of David Sims and Luella Bartley, and Lola Clark, granddaughter of sixties fashion legend Ossie Clark. They gyrated to Hale Zero and Gabriels well into the early hours, as good party girls should.

After that, there was nowhere else to raise a final toast but Chiltern Firehouse, where 5am struck and Raye was still dancing barefoot in her merlot, beaded gown. Having taken home six Brit awards — making history with the most wins for one artist ever at the awards — you cannot help but think, as she bloody well should.