Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay take Brit Awards

British rock quartet the Kaiser Chiefs scored big at the Brits Wednesday night, taking three honours at the U.K. equivalent of the Grammy Awards.

Hailing from northern England, the Kaiser Chiefs won best British group, best British rock act and best British live act — beating heavyweight contenders like Oasis and Franz Ferdinand at the Earl's Court arena gala.

However, the Chiefs's bestselling debut Employment lost the best album honour to Coldplay's internationally acclaimed album X&Y. Coldplay's hit song Speed of Sound also took the best British single category.

Another newcomer took home two Brits. Former British Army captain James Blunt, whose first album Back to Bedlam was the U.K.'s bestselling album of 2005, won both the best British male act and best pop act titles.

Scottish singer K.T. Tunstall was named best British female. Other winners included Lemar (British urban act), buzzworthy band Arctic Monkeys (British breakthrough artist) and singer-songwriter Jack Johnson (international breakthrough act).

The London ceremony also attracted a number of international stars, both to the stage and to the podium.

Rapper Kanye West, a recent Grammy winner, performed and was named best international male act. Madonna was named best international female act, while Green Day won both best international group and best international album for American Idiot.

Other performers included the Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay, Gorillaz, Kelly Clarkson and Prince, who delivered a show-stopping performance of some of his classics, including Purple Rain and Let's Go Crazy.

Administered by the British Phonographic Industry Ltd., the annual Brit Awards are voted upon by more than 1,000 representatives of the U.K. music industry.