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A galaxy of stars came to town on Saturday night as Manchester hosted The Brit Awards for the very first time. And, in what must be one of the cushiest gigs in Manchester Evening News history, Jenna Campbell had front row seats at both the Co-op Live ceremony and the glitzy after-parties.

From rubbing shoulders with Noel Gallagher and Dua Lipa to quaffing Hennessy and Champagne, in today’s Mancunian Way, Jenna reveals what it’s really like to attend one of the music industry’s most chaotic and raucous nights.

“Surreal, exhilarating and kind of bizarre are all words that spring to mind now that I’ve had some rest after Saturday night,” Jenna told me on Monday morning after I asked her how the night went. “The thrill of seeing Co-op Live transformed and hundreds of stars from across the music industry descend on the arena will stay with me for a while as one of the highlights of covering the city’s cultural scene.

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“The Brits has always pushed boundaries and championed the best in British music, but seeing it done on home turf – a major nod to Manchester’s musical heritage and future stars – was something else. Seeing Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, TV personalities (like Love Islanders and BBC Traitors contestants), and Manchester music legends including Noel Gallagher in person made for an extremely entertaining evening – especially hearing the full, uncensored speeches.

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“Manchester is made for events like this. It’s a music powerhouse, the birthplace of Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division and The Stone Roses, and it is already nurturing the next wave of upcoming stars and talent. The creative industries deserve for the Brits to head outside of London because culture and music are happening everywhere, and Manchester was the perfect place to start this mission.”

Below Jenna gives her take on the night…

The arrival

Arriving at the venue a couple hours before the show was broadcast live, my nerves were slightly getting the better of me, but after passing through security and heading to my table at the back at the arena, they quickly subsided as I took in the scale of the set-up and staging in front of me. What you don’t realise watching at home is that all this takes place hours before, with last minute sound checks, mics being rigged and cameras positioned – and it was exciting to see that all coming together ahead of showtime.

Famed musicians, their posse and various other celebs – ranging from Love Island stars and contestants started to pack in. Reminding us that they’re human too, many of them posed near the staircase by the stage ready for their Instagram stories, though they had a lot more portable lighting on hand than the average Joe.

There’s still something slightly bizarre about walking between tables and within the space of two minutes nudging past everyone from Jack Whitehall and Jeff Goldblum, to more locals faces like Bez and Shaun Ryder, and our very own Mayor, Andy Burnham – where else would you get such a mix all in once venue?

The booze and food

As expected the alcohol on the table was plentiful – from Champagne and wine to spirits and mixers – and some even had a premium bottle of Hennessy, which celebs and stars could swig from. In the private suites, hosted by record labels, industry bodies and sponsors of the event, the champagne flowed with bespoke cocktails being made.

In fact, the focus was so much on fancy drinks that I got a shocked reaction when asking for a soft drink – resulting in a search party involving multiple members of staff to find an elusive can of Pepsi.

The Suites menu featured the likes of a slow cooked venison haunch, featuring a confit potato, Roscoff onion, Jerusalem artichoke and venison jus, and a smoked tofu makhani.

The sweet selection meanwhile boasted a touch of the local area in the form of a Manchester Bee macaroon and a delicious mini Manchester tart. It was a fitting welcome from the city, indeed.

The ceremony

Getting to see all the action from the sidelines of the suites was truly thrilling with the excitement built up at the beginning thanks to a warm-up mash-up of Adele’s Someone Like You and Robin S’s Show Me Love. Baffling to begin with, but it ended up working. Performances from Harry Styles and Olivia Dean kept up the energy, whilst Mark Ronson and Dua Lipa turned the whole place into a disco and Rosalia took us to a hedonistic opera rave with special guest Bjork.

As it unfolds as well, you realise that some awards are not broadcast or are rushed through, while others are given a lot more prominence and air time. The now well-documented censoring of certain comments made throughout the night from the host, as well as Angry Ginge, Noel Gallagher and the band Geese, were all obviously heard in real time, though like anything, it can take you a second or two to calibrate whether they actually said what you think they did.

Interestingly, about half way through the attention of the guests at the tables starts to wane, with many people wandering around to chat with other A-listers or snag more free booze. They rally for the big performances and major awards but after an hour of being well-behaved and paying attention to their hosts and presenters, they struggle to not go in search of their fellow stars.

And the all-important after-party

There were a number of after-parties taking place across the city, with fans gathering behind barriers outside the likes of Cut & Craft, The Ivy and Impossible Bar hoping to get a glimpse of pop and rock royalty. I was lucky to be invited to Soho House, where several floors up the party was in full swing with custom-made cocktails doing the rounds and celebs dancing like nobody was watching as Mark Ronson and a host of DJs got behind the decks.

In every nook and cranny there was a A-lister to be found, from Sharon and Kelly Osborne chatting with friends in one of the restaurant booths, to Noel Gallagher chilling out near the pool, while his daughter Anais and nephew Gene Gallagher loitered not far away. BBC radio DJs chatted amongst themselves including Vernon Kay and Nick Grimshaw, while Jack Whitehall wound down after hosting duties, seeking a quieter space above the rooftop pool.

Fresh from their wins, Wolf Alice and Skepta joined the throng, Mark looking effortlessly cool as he chatted with collaborator Dua Lipa, who stopped off at a couple of after parties during the course of the early hours.

Making sure the guests were watered and fed free‑flowing champagne, custom Henny-ritas – a Hennessey-fuelled Margarita and Soho House favourites including the Picante de la Casa and Eastern Standard were in plentiful supply alongside a custom-made rooftop cocktail menu. Little nibbles did the rounds too with tuna croustades, avocado tostadas and mini bowls of chilli making sure all the fizz didn’t go to their heads.

Party-goers were also given up a 2,000 goodie bag filled to brim with luxury items including Sony Wireless Headphones, Pleasing Eau de Parfum by Harry Styles, 111SKIN skincare, and premium products from Diptyque, Elemis, Prada Beauty, Liquid I.V., and more. Guests were also treated to a Sunday recovery pack for the train journey home (read: private car home) including much needed Bloody Marys and VOSS Water to re-hydrate.