Arctic Monkeys opened the 2014 BRIT Awards in London on Wednesday night with an incendiary performance of “R U Mine?”. The band also took home top honors at the show, winning both Best British Group and British Album of the Year with 2013’s AM.
“That rock and roll, eh?” said frontman Alex Turner in his acceptance speech for the latter. “That rock and roll, it just won’t go away. It might hibernate from time to time and sink back into the swamp. I think the cyclical nature of the universe in which it exists demands it adheres to some of its rules. But it’s always waiting there just around the corner, ready to make its way back through the sludge and smash through the glass ceiling, looking better than ever. Yeah, that rock and roll, it seems like it’s fading away sometimes, but it will never die. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Thank you very much for this. I do truly appreciate it. Don’t take that the wrong way, and invoice me for the microphone if you need to.”
The win for Brit Album of the Year marked the third time the band has won the award.