Happy Mondays Legend Bez Ditches Sobriety for Brit Awards Celebration
In an exclusive revelation, Happy Mondays icon Bez has abandoned his newfound sobriety to celebrate the Brit Awards making history in Manchester. The 61-year-old musician, who had given up alcohol for two months over the festive period, decided it was worth raising a glass as the prestigious ceremony was hosted outside London for the first time ever.
A Festive Health Kick Comes to an End
Bez had previously disclosed at the end of January that he embarked on a health kick, quitting sugary cakes and abstaining from what he humorously referred to as "the Persian rugs and drink too." Speaking to the Mirror on the red carpet outside the Co-op Live arena, however, Bez admitted he planned to toast the Brits' northern arrival with an alcoholic beverage. "I still am sober. Two months it is," he stated, before adding, "But I've got to admit I was really bored."
When asked what he intended to drink during the ceremony, the party-loving maraca-shaker confessed, "I don't know, I've not decided. Because I've not had one for so long - you know what it's like with the first one. I'd like to start with tequila." This marked a significant shift from his earlier commitment, where he had been determined to stay sober until the end of February.
The Journey to Sobriety and Its Challenges
At a Tena Men event in Manchester in January, Bez detailed his decision to ditch the booze, revealing that quitting sugar had been the catalyst for his sobriety. "The sugary cake addiction had gotten out of hand," he explained. "So I started fasting 16 hours a day. Now I'm sort of giving everything else up, and it's helped me focus on that. I'm four weeks in now, and I can feel the energy coming back - I'm buzzing again. All the sugars out of my system, I can feel a new energy coming through."
During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Bez disclosed he was consuming around 33 pints of beer per week. By 2022, he had found a balance, staying sober during the week and drinking only on weekends, but admitted the recent festive period had derailed his efforts. "I was sinking a bottle of tequila a night at work and all that, running right up to Boxing Day," he recalled in January. "I was tanning everything like you wouldn't believe, but then thought, 'That's enough of that rubbish.'"
Despite his resolve, Bez confessed to missing alcohol, saying, "But at the same time, I am missing having a drink. I kept looking at you all tonight, drinking, thinking, 'That Guinness looked lovely.' I've managed to hold off, and I'm determined to get through until the end of the month." His bandmate Shaun Ryder joked during a panel talk, "Then it's Far Out February," setting the stage for their wild night at the Brits.
Chaos and Comedy at the Brit Awards
The Madchester pioneers, Bez and Shaun Ryder, certainly lived up to their legendary reputations at the Brit Awards, causing some panic for ITV during the live broadcast. Shaun delighted the audience by recalling a near-bust for drug possession at a Brit Awards in the 1990s, though viewers at home missed the anecdote as it was bleeped out. The 63-year-old singer also humorously called host Jack Whitehall "a grass," eliciting laughter from the arena after Whitehall joked that the duo would be the new presenting team for Strictly Come Dancing.
Shaun and Bez took to the stage to present Wolf Alice with the Group of the Year award. Speaking on the red carpet beforehand, Shaun admitted that while he hoped to see "some dead young up-and-coming band" win, he had plans if Pulp had been honoured. "If Pulp win it, I'm going to invade the stage like Jarvis did all those years ago," he pledged. Fortunately for cautious ITV bosses, a potential scandal was averted thanks to Wolf Alice's victory.
As the night unfolded, Bez was seen leaving the Brits looking a bit worse for wear, marking the end of his sobriety streak in true celebratory fashion. Shaun had earlier quipped on the red carpet, "Bez still hasn't been home since he first went out to the Hacienda in 1982, but I will be in bed watching the news at 11 o'clock," highlighting their contrasting approaches to the evening's festivities.
