THEY might not have the screaming fans of Take That or the paparazzi pulling power of Girls Aloud.But tonight Editors - featuring Ipswich's Ed Lay - go head-to-head with the powerhouses of pop for the crown of Britain's Best Group.

THEY might not have the screaming fans of Take That or the paparazzi pulling power of Girls Aloud.

But tonight Editors - featuring Ipswich's Ed Lay - go head-to-head with the powerhouses of pop for the crown of Britain's Best Group.

The band has been nominated for the “big one” in the prestigious Brit Awards, which will be handed out in a glittering ceremony at Earls Court.

It could prove to be a double celebration for drummer Ed, who turns 27 today. But the former St Albans High School pupil is not expecting the Best Group gong as a birthday present.

He said: “We're everybody's outsiders. I don't think anybody else - including Take That - thinks we're going to win.

“We're just going to have a great night. Everybody who is important to us - our management, our record label - is going to be there with us. And it's my birthday as well - it's going to be a big celebration.

“But I don't really think we've got a chance. I wouldn't have been surprised if we had been up for Best Live Act, but to be nominated for the big one was a hell of a shock.”

The Birmingham-based band has released two critically-acclaimed albums, The Back Room and An End Has A Start, which have sold almost a million copies between them.

But they have yet to win a major record industry prize, despite previously being nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and an NME award.

Tonight, they will also be up against rockers Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs as they bid to land a Brit - but Ed said awards were not their ultimate goal.

“They're great, but they're not what we write music for, not what we tour our backsides off for.”