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Back in January, TV phenomenon 'It's A Sin' hit screens. Made by Russell T Davies, the writer of TV series ‘Queer as Folk’ and ‘Years and Years’, the show was based on the experiences he and his friends had of city life in the ‘80s – a decade of partying and possibility but also deep-set homophobia, racism and the Aids crisis. It starred Olly Alexander from Years and Years as the main character Ritchie – a young queer guy who found it hard to come to terms with the crisis unfurling around him.
Tonight Olly took to the stage at the Brit Awards 2021 to perform a cover of the Pet Shop Boys song 'It's A Sin', a single from 1987 that inspired the show's name, alongside Elton John. You can watch their performance below. You can also stream and download a studio version (produced by Madonna collaborator Stuart Price and the Pet Shop Boys) with all proceeds going towards the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
The incredible @eltonofficial and @yearsandyears perform their brand new charity single 'It's A Sin' in support of Elton John AIDS Foundation 🌟 #BRITs
— BRIT Awards (@BRITs) May 11, 2021
You can download the track now: https://t.co/1llrPerdNW pic.twitter.com/9bOMYBuwqV
This year's instalment of the annual awards ceremony, held at the O2 Arena in London, was an extra special one. Not because it was hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall but because it was part of the government's research into Covid risks in live music venues.
It had a strictly controlled attendance of 4,000. More than half of these were frontline workers (who were given free tickets) and their guests. It's a tiddly crowd compared to normal, but this is still a significant evening: The Brit Awards 2021 is the first major indoor music event to welcome back a live audience.
Read the full list of Brit Awards winners here.
Read about how Little Mix made history at the event here.