His rivals weren't even born when he last won the accolade in 1984, but David Bowie saw experience triumph over youth as he was crowned best British male at the Brit awards.
Thirty years after he first took home the coveted prize, the 67-year-old singer-songwriter became the oldest recipient of a Brit award on a night that saw the old guard outshine music's young starlets.
Bowie, who broke a decade's silence with his cerebral comeback album The Next Day last February, beat competition from young up-and-comers Jake Bugg, John Newman, Tom Odell and James Blake to win the award.
There was a hint of the chaotic spirit of Brits past when model Rosie Huntingdon-Whitely left a dramatic pause before announcing One Direction as winners of a category in which they'd already been announced as winners by means of a lengthy video, but that's about as dangerous as it got, unless you count David Bowie's acceptance speech – read by Kate Moss – in which he appeared to throw his weight against Scottish independence. Still, given that last year the main danger at the Brits was one or more of the viewers expiring from boredom, then that might be considered an advance. – uardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2014