Brits 2015: Ordinary people

On Thursday night, the Brit Awards shortlist was announced, packed full of reasonable-sounding people making pleasant enough tunes, I guess. There's so much prospect of Sam Smith waltzing away with armfuls of prizes on the night - Best Okayish Album of the Year; You Could Probably Introduce Him To Your Mother of 2014; Brightest Hope of Smiling Photo Op With Whoever Wins The Election Probably At A Youth Club Or Something; he may even get the Look There's No Soul There At All Which Equals Success prize, the big one of the night.

Here's the shortlists in full:

British Album

Alt-J – This Is All Yours

Ed Sheeran – X

George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage

Royal Blood – Royal Blood

Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour

British Single

Calvin Harris – Summer

Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne – Rather Be

Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones – I Got U

Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

Ella Henderson – Ghost

George Ezra – Budapest

Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk

Route 94 featuring Jess Glynne – My Love

Sam Smith – Stay With Me

Sigma – Nobody To Love

British Breakthrough Artist

Chvrches

FKA Twigs

George Ezra

Royal Blood

Sam Smith

British Female Solo Artist

Lily Allen

Paloma Faith

Ella Henderson

FKA Twigs

Jessie Ware

British Male Solo Artist

Damon Albarn

George Ezra

Paolo Nutini

Ed Sheeran

Sam Smith

British Video

Calvin Harris – Summer

Charlie XCX – Boom Clap

Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones – I Got U

Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk

One Direction – You And I

Rita Ora – I Will Never Let You Down

Route 94 featuring Jess Glynne – My Love

Sam Smith – Stay With Me

Sigma – Nobody To Love

British Producer

Flood

Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory

Paul Epworth

Jake Gosling

International Female Solo Artist

Beyonce

Lana Del Ray

Sia

St. Vincent

Taylor Swift

International Group

5 Seconds of Summer

Black Keys

First Aid Kit

Foo Fighters

The War On Drugs

International Male Solo Artist

Beck

Hozier

Jack White

John Legend

Pharrell Williams

Critics’ Choice Award
James Bay

In a statement released shortly after the announcement of the shortlists, someone from the BPI apologised for the appearance of Lily Allen, Coldplay, Beck and Damon Albarn on the shortlists. "We reused an old form for typing these things up, and I don't think we quite deleted all the old items from the word doc - we did catch Duran Duran before we hit save, which is at least something."

The Brit Awards will be presented by Joe Pasquale and Bradley Walsh sooner than is comfortable for any of us. The best we can hope is that Taylor Swift will turn up.