I’ve just got back in from the Brits 2009 nominations ceremony at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. I say ceremony, it was more like being in the studio audience for an ITV2 programme. In fact, thinking about it, that’s exactly what it was.

Anyway, I was invited because I am on the voting panel this year. That’s not quite as grand as it sounds. There are somewhere in the region of 1000 of us, from record shop owners to student union ents managers (no disrespect to either), but it nonetheless felt pretty exciting to be part of a process I’ve observed avidly since the bad old days when Phil Collins winning Best British Male was a foregone conclusion.

Not exciting enough not to be late though. Hey, I was watching the Obama inauguration speech and I reasoned that any future children I might have will be more likely to ask where I was when that was happening than when Scouting For Girls were nominated for British Breakthrough Act.

I must be getting old.

So, for those of you who care about such things, here are the nominations in full:

British Male Solo Artist
Ian Brown
James Morrison
Paul Weller
The Streets
Will Young

British Female Solo Artist
Adele
Beth Rowley
Duffy
Estelle
M.I.A.

British Group
Coldplay
Elbow
Girls Aloud
Radiohead
Take That

British Single
Adele – Chasing Pavements
Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Dizzee Rascal ft. Calvin Harris – Dance Wiv Me
Duffy – Mercy
Estelle ft. Kanye West: American Boy
Girls Aloud – The Promise
Leona Lewis – Better In Time
Scouting For Girls – Heartbeat
The X Factor Finalists – Hero

British Album
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Duffy – Rockferry
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Ting Tings – We Started Nothing

British Breakthrough Act
Adele
Duffy
The Last Shadow Puppets
Scouting For Girls
Ting Tings

British Live Act
Coldplay
Elbow
Iron Maiden
Scouting For Girls
The Verve

International Male Solo Artist
Beck
Neil Diamond
Jay-Z
Kanye West
Seasick Steve

International Female Solo Artist
Beyoncé
Gabriella Cilmi
Katy Perry
Pink
Santogold

International Group
AC/DC
Fleet Foxes
The Killers
Kings of Leon
MGMT

International Album
AC/DC – Black Ice
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
The Killers – Day & Age
Kings of Leon – Only By The Night
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

British Producer of the Year
Bernard Butler
Brian Eno
Steve Mac

Critics’ Choice Award
Florence and the Machine

Outstanding Contribution to Music
Pet Shop Boys

So basically Duffy and Coldplay lead the way with four nominations each. I’d make Duffy favourite to convert all four of hers to gongs next month. No surprises there, you might think.

But then, as Florence And The Machine were being announced as recipients of this year’s Critics’ Choice award (one of two that are given in advance), I remembered that when Adele won it last year, Duffy was barely on the radar.

Critics, eh? What do they know?