One of the biggest nights in the music calendar takes place tonight as the stars turn out for the 25th Brit Awards.
The Scissor Sisters will kick off the ceremony at London's Earl's Court, which will include performances by Franz Ferdinand, Robbie Williams, The Streets and Natasha Bedingfield.
This year the emphasis is on new British music with many of the nominees relative unknowns 12 months ago. Glasgow quartet Franz Ferdinand have been shortlisted for five awards including best British band, album, breakthrough, live act and rock act. Muse received four nominations while Snow Patrol, Kasabian and Keane each have three.
Natasha Bedingfield has three nominations including best British female, in which category she faces competition from Jamelia, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and PJ Harvey. At the ceremony she will perform for the first time ever with her brother Daniel, singing the Chaka Khan hit Ain't Nobody.
Chris Evans is hosting the awards, his first major TV job in four years. Evans is an old hand at the Brits - he presented the event in 1995 and 1996. On the latter occasion Jarvis Cocker famously invaded the stage during a Michael Jackson performance.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the awards there is a special prize for the best song of the past 25 years, as voted for by Radio 2 listeners. Robbie Williams is favourite with his anthem Angels. If he wins he will bag his 15th Brit - he has already taken home 10 solo awards and four with Take That. The other contenders are Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, We Are The Champions by Queen and Leave Right Now by Will Young.
Sir Bob Geldof will be honoured with an award for outstanding contribution to music. Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty, fresh from four days behind bars at Pentonville prison, is on the guest list, but his bail conditions require him to observe a 10pm-7am curfew.
Alcohol is back on the menu this year after a booze ban in 2003 made for a dull ceremony. Organisers have laid on 6,000 bottles of champagne and 10,000 bottles of wine for the VIP guests.
· The show will be broadcast on ITV1 tomorrow night.
