5:18pm ET ~ Adele closes the show with ‘When We Were Young’. Cheers!

5:17pm ET ~ Almost done…

5:09pm ET ~ British Album of the Year deservedly goes to Adele with ’25’. That’s her 4th award of the night. 👏👏👏👏

5:03pm ET ~ The Weeknd is performing ‘The Hills’. The hills have eyes, so did they hills see you put on that windbreaker? 😑

4:50pm ET ~ Hi, Lorde expertly giving it her all during ‘Life On Mars’. #DavidBowie 👽

4:39pm ET ~ Annie Lennox with a David Bowie tribute: “He had that special kind of significance.” 😿

4:35pm ET ~ Did you also just order white fringe cha-cha pants bc Rihanna?

4:26pm ET ~ Hold up, was that a The Whispers’ ‘Rock Steady’ drum sample in the Little Mix performance? If so… #RESPECT.

4:16pm ET ~ TBH A LITTLE OUT OF BREATHY BUT GAHDAMN IF THESE TWO DON’T GO BACKSTAGE AND SMASH, IT’S A SHAME. #fansmyself

4:15pm ET ~ OH DEAR LORD CPR ME RIGHT NOW. SHE BROUGHT DRAKE WITH HER. HE JUST HOPPED UP ON IT. DEAD.

4:14pm ET ~ SO MUCH DUTTY WINING. 😻😻😻

4:13pm ET ~ OMG SHE STARTED WITH ‘CONSIDERATION’. SZA IS BACK THERE. VISUALS. I’M HYPERVENTILATING.

4:12pm ET ~ SHE’S HERE. #WORK

4:05pm ET ~ International Male Solo Artist? Congrats, Bieber.

4:03pm ET ~ Legit not one mention of Bad Gyal yet.

4:01pm ET ~ Seriously… 🎈

4:00pm ~ Where is Rihanna?

3:49pm ET ~ I’m eating a hamburger.

3:46pm ET ~ Best Single goes to ‘Hello’ by Adele.

3:40pm ET ~ Jess Glynne is performing a medley of her proper smashes! #HoldMyHand ✋

3:37pm ET ~ Best International Group goes to… TAME IMPALA. 🎸

3:28pm ET ~ James Bay did something.

3:22pm ET ~ Justin Bieber, ‘Love Yourself’, ‘Sorry’, flames and are those WHITE VANS??? Had to… #DamnDaniel 🔥👟👟🔥

3:12pm ET ~ British Female Solo Artist goes to… ADELE. And she ends her acceptance speech with a public support of Kesha. 💕

3:06pm ET ~ Coldplay have the first performance of the night with ‘Hymn For the Weekend’. My first bathroom break came sooner than anticipated.

3:02pm ET ~ #BRITs2016 HAVE BEGUN! Guys and girls in amazing red costume / dresses to open up the event.

2:56pm ET ~ I LOVE LITTLE MIX. #BlackMagic

2:51pm ET ~ Jessie J’s ‘Flashlight’ is nominated and by the singer’s account, she should win because, “… I’m kind of celebrated as one of the greatest singers and I love it.” 🐸☕

2:37pm ET ~ Throwback to Paloma Faith’s soaking wet 2015 performance of ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’. For my next act? Ordering delivery… because in NYC, it’s raining harder than her soggy moment of last year.

2:31pm ET ~ Pre-show has begun. Nod to 2015 w/ Ed Sheeran performing ‘Bloodstream’. It’s fine.

2:30pm ET ~ LIVE STREAM OF THE CARPET HAS BEGUN. Spotted: Jess Glynne; Rihanna; Adele; Little Mix; Jack Garratt and his amazing facial hair.

BRIT’ya didn’t know that the UK’s biggest music night was happening while you’d still be at work today, right? Ok, I’m sure you did because: Adele is performing; Bieber will be Bieber; and RIHANNA.

The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry’s annual pop music awards, and the British equivalent of our stateside Grammy Awards. Big stories going into tonight’s event?

Where’s the grime? (Stormzy and JME are both currently charting in the UK).

Who’s diverse? (j/k as The FADER points out: “… black British artists are mostly unrepresented: in 2015, FKA twigs was the only British person of color to be nominated for a BRIT award. This year […] one black British act is nominated (Disciples, for their collaboration with Calvin Harris)”. It’s not just the #OscarsSoWhite apparently.

Finally… RIHANNA. Editors note: this live blog will skew heavily in the way of Bahamian gawdess RiRi. Her first live performance since releasing ANTI happens tonight at the BRITs.

See you all in a few. Watch and tweet back at me if you dare. @hannahrad