This year's Brit award, designed by Peter Blake

Adele will make a triumphant return to the Brits tonight 12 months after her breakthrough appearance at the awards catapulted her to stardom – it is expected.

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The star, whose performance of Someone Like You was the highlight of last year’s show, is up for three awards at the music business bash a week after she won six Grammys.

Her appearance at the event, in London’s O2 Arena, will mark her first UK performance since her career-saving operation after she was diagnosed with a vocal cord haemorrhage.

Britpop legends Blur are also set to perform five songs as they receive the outstanding contribution prize at the star-studded event.

It will be the band’s first performance since a handful of 2009 shows, including a Glastonbury headline slot.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran heads the field this year with four nominations.

The 21-year-old star - who has three top five hits to his name - tops the shortlists ahead of Adele and Jessie J, both up for three prizes.

Florence + The Machine and Coldplay are each up for a pair of prizes at the event, officially called the The Brit Awards 2012 with MasterCard.

Hotly tipped Emeli Sande has already won one trophy before this year’s show - the Critics’ Choice Award - and stands to win another as best British breakthrough act, competing against Jessie J, Sheeran, Anna Calvi and The Vaccines.

Sheeran has landed plenty of critical acclaim and airplay in the past year with singles such as The A Team and Lego House, as well as topping the album chart with his debut, called +.

He goes up against Noel Gallagher, James Blake, James Morrison and Professor Green for the best British male title and is one of 10 acts in contention for best British single.

Gallagher is set to play with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at the awards according to host James Corden who let the secret out during a radio interview.

Best British album - which has now become the centrepiece of the Brits - will be fought over between Sheeran’s +, 21 by Adele, Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay, Ceremonials by Florence and the Mercury Prize-winning Let England Shake by PJ Harvey.

The best British female category features Adele, Florence, Jessie J, Laura Marling and Kate Bush. Bush, 53, figures in the shortlist for the first time in six years, on the back of her 50 Words For Snow album which came out in November. She has been nominated for the best female prize a total of seven times but last won it 25 years ago.

Coldplay are up for the best British group title - a category they have previously won three times - and face Elbow, Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys and Chase & Status.

Other acts with two nominations are Bon Iver and Aloe Blacc, who both figure in the international categories.

Coldplay are the only group with more than one nomination.

The shortlisted acts will be competing for a trophy designed by pop artist Sir Peter Blake, renowned as the man behind the sleeve for The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The event - to be broadcast live on ITV1 - will also feature performances from Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Sheeran, Florence and Rihanna.