The X Factor Tour came to Bournemouth last weekend and while the show makes great Saturday night telly, we wondered if a live show minus the bickering judges and without host Dermot O’Leary could still have the same impact.
The night was arranged to alternate between the eight finalists, as well as a couple of group performances and let’s not forget a few video clips showing their X Factor journey.
Tamera Foster
Tamera opened the night with Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’, descending onto the stage in a stunning outfit, showing off her fabulous figure. Although the sixteen-year-old forgot her words a few times during the audition stages of The X Factor, she was on top form tonight, proving to be the perfect pop package by switching between the upbeat dance track of Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’, to the slow power ballad of Beyoncé’s ‘Listen’. But while the latter showed off her impressive vocals, it did seem a bit like karaoke at times, with her perhaps trying a little too hard to be like Beyoncé.
Nicholas McDonald
Runner up Nicholas got a well received reaction from the audience, as he performed a range of songs including Robbie Williams’ ‘Candy’ and Take That’s ‘Greatest Day’. The Scottish singer’s forte is definitely ballads though, impressing the crowd with his version of the Westlife classic ‘Flying Without Wings’ followed by Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’. A good voice and a sweet lad, in the words of Louis Walsh, he has the likeability factor.
Sam Callahan
From the screams in the audience, Sam may be a favourite with the girls, but unfortunately his performances weren’t that memorable when compared to the others. Unlike the other finalists, he only performed one song on his own, which was the Bryan Adam’s track ‘Summer of 69’. But he later joined Luke Friend for a duet of Jason Mraz’s ‘I Won’t Give Up’, as well as performing Fun’s ‘We Are Young’ alongside Luke and Nicholas.
Hannah Barrett
Without a doubt Hannah proved to be one of the finalists with the best vocals, who was definitely knocked out of the competition too early. Her powerful rendition of Emeli Sandé’s ‘Read All About It’ instantly impressed the audience followed by Jocelyn Brown’s ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’, and later on in the evening her rendition of Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ couldn’t be faulted. Definitely a great live performer.
Abi Alton
The pace slowed down whenever Abi appeared on stage, which like Sam, was much less than the other finalists. She performed stripped back versions of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, and Bon Jovi’s ‘Living On A Prayer’. While she should definitely be praised for putting her spin on them, nothing compares with the upbeat original renditions.
Luke Friend
Third place finalist Luke definitely got one of the best reactions from the crowd, with his signature dreads and Harry Styles sounding vocals all making him a firm favourite with the teenage girls. He mixed things up by performing the lively Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music’, to then swapping to his guitar for Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’. Later on in the evening he even invited one lucky girl up on stage to serenade her with One Direction’s hit song ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.
Rough Copy
The group consisted of three during The X Factor live shows, but they are now down to two, after Kazeem was banned from the tour due to bad behaviour. Although they may have been a member down, the duo certainty wowed with their choreographed dance routines and strong stage presence. They also made up a majority of stage time during the evening, giving entertaining performances of Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’, Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’ and Ray Charles’ ‘Hit The Road Jack’.
Sam Bailey
The last half an hour of the evening was dedicated to The X Factor winner Sam Bailey, with her beginning her six song set list with the strong ballad ‘The Power Of Love’. We saw her support Beyoncé last month in Birmingham, and like we presumed beforehand, she performed a similar set list to the one she did there. Out of all the finalists though, Sam definitely had the best interaction with the crowd, telling them how the Dreamgirls track ‘And I’m Telling You’ is the song she sings to help her take out her frustration when angry, and how she dedicated Emeli Sandé’s ‘Clown’ to her children. As well as these power ballads, she also showed off her dance moves with Whitney Houston’s ‘How Will I Know’, followed by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer’s ‘No More Tears’ (Enough Is Enough)’. Sam then ended with her winning single ‘Skyscraper’, before all the finalists came out on stage to join her for ‘Lifted’.
Overall, an enjoyable evening, although we have to admit we certainly missed all the drama caused by the judges. It may have been a bit like karaoke at times with a lot of Adele, Emeli Sandé and Whitney Houston songs covered, but Sam Bailey proved she was definitely the deserving winner, with Hannah Barrett, and Luke Friend also standing out.
