There's Only One Direction...

On Thursday I went to see One Direction in the O2 Arena, London. This was the first show of the UK arena leg of the On The Road Again (OTRA) tour and my first time seeing them perform a full set. Having seen them perform a short set at Summertime Ball earlier this year, I was really excited about watching a full show from the world's most famous boyband.

The first thing that surprised me as we sat in our seats was the variety of people in the audience. Whilst I was greeted with screaming fangirls in abundance (which was totally expected) there was also older women, couples and quite a few men!

Before 1D came on stage, we were treated to a great support act in the form of Jamie Lawson. I didn't really know who he was beforehand, I'd never heard him sing and my knowledge of him only stretched to the fact that he's signed to Ed Sheeran's record label. I was pleasantly surprised, as it turned out that he was a fantastic singer-songwriter. Jamie performed his original songs and a crowd pleasing cover of 1D's More Than This.  I can see why Ed Sheeran has signed him - he reminded me so much of the Ed Sheeran I first saw live a few years ago, and no doubt that after this tour that Jamie will grow even further in confidence.  Whilst I thought he was really good, personally I would have chosen someone livelier as a support act. I think an audience like 1D's want to be hyped at all times, yet I found Jamie's songs too mellow to get incredibly excited over. I think Jamie would have shone even more as a support act for someone else.  Nevertheless, this tour is the most incredible opportunity for him and an excellent platform to showcase his fantastic music.

After what felt like a lifetime of waiting, it was finally time for 1D who burst onto the stage to perform No Control. As one of the most popular songs amongst Directioners, the boys most definitely chose the best opening to the show and in return, the crowd showed their appreciation by screaming, singing along loudly and dancing about.  Kiss You was next, one of my favourites from their earlier days and they put on a very energetic performance!

Fireproof was one of the first ballads performed which was made even more special by fans holding signs baring the words 'Nobody saves us the way you do'. These were handed out before the show began (the first of many different projects that the boys will see during their tour) and I thought it was a really cute idea.

One of my highlights was Stockholm Syndrome.  When I first heard Four, it instantly became my favourite song and I was so excited to hear it live. Despite Zayn being the main singer on the album track, the boys did a fab job and didn't disappoint! I definitely got a bit over excited during this song, no shame haha!

One of the most eventful songs was Night Changes. The poor souls had real difficulty as they were hearing something different in their ear pieces and had to attempt the song three times! In the end, with the help of the fans they were back on track and I must applaud them on dealing with the sound problems so well. To be honest, the fans didn't mind at all as it meant getting a short acoustic snippet of Infinity which excited the crowd even further and gave them an insight to what they can expect on their new album Made in the A.M. The banter between the boys was also hilarious, Harry was trying to get people to tell jokes which was funny in itself!

There was a good mix of different album tracks and well known songs on the setlist, including Little Things, Best Song Ever, Clouds, Diana and Little White Lies. It was nice to see Niall playing the guitar on several songs. The boys spoke a lot in between songs, mainly thanking the fans for all of their support over the last five years. I must also mention Harry starting a kiss cam which was funny - an older couple kissed on camera and in return they bagged Niall's plectrum as they had a sign asking for it.  They were completely over the moon at the whole thing haha.

1D finished the set with Steal My Girl, however knowing that there were some important songs missing, we knew that there would be an encore.  Several minutes of anticipation later and they boys reappeared on stage to perform Act My Age, What Makes You Beautiful and Drag Me Down. They most definitely saved the best song until last - Drag Me Down is such an anthemic song and it's even better live (once again, no shame in losing my shhhh whilst they performed haha).

Liam kept saying how the O2 was one of his favourite venues to perform at, so I'm glad that I got to see them at such an iconic venue.  Their two hour set was the epitome of energy at all times and you could see what a great relationship they had with each other. I can finally say that I've seen a whole One Direction set and it was definitely worth the wait :-)

Here's some pictures from the night, courtesy of mum as she had a better view than I did!

Niall and his guitar

Liam

Louis

Harry entertaining the crowd

with the girls

the boys

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

X Factor Live Show!

Yesterday I was one of the lucky audience members for the first live show of this year's X Factor! We had originally applied for these special rehearsal/front of stage tickets but after queuing for over 5 hours on the day it turns out the producers were ageist AND sexist, only allowing a handful of girls between 16-21 to go in! The rest of us got lumbered with "priority" entry into the live show instead which equated to seats near the back but at that point I was just glad to be inside.

We've been to see the live shows twice before, both times being to support Kingsland last year. This time we were sat behind the friends and family of the contestants and it was nice to be able to watch without having a particular favourite!

Around 7:15, Roycey (the warm up man for all the big ITV audience shows) came and gave us some practice for the 2 and a half hour clap-a-thon ahead of us, and told us we'd need to stand during all the performances etc. At 7:30 we went live to approximately 11 million people, and what an experience it was! Seeing the judges walk in was amazing, I felt a bit starstruck to be sat in the same room as Simon Cowell to be honest!!!

Then it was time for the contestants! There are 16 in total this year, the 12 original contestants plus 4 wildcards chosen for the judges by another judge.  Simon has the overs this year, Cheryl with the girls, Mel B with the boys and Louis with the groups.

Paul Akister

Paul opened the show with a brilliant performance of Ella Henderson's Ghost. He got a no from Louis at judges houses last year and the judges most definitely played on this element this year. He definitely deserves his place in the competition and his confidence has grown - it was a big deal to open the show last night, I just hope people won't forget about him following the other 15 performances.

Lola Saunders

Lola was a wildcard for Cheryl's category as chosen by Louis. She did a good performance of Sam Smith's Stay With Me and only really received criticism for her outfit!

Overload Generation

Formally Overload, these boys were Louis' wildcard as chosen by Mel B. Unfortunately their performance of Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl fell a bit flat, no doubt down to nerves and the pressure of being the wildcard, considering that they have direct competition in their category with the eight piece boyband. However they were spurred on by a great crowd reaction, lots of screaming fangirls were sat around me and having seen them at events such as Soccer Six in the past, I know how popular they are. They also have a brilliant social media presence and I have no doubt that their fanbase will carry them through to next week where they'll need to prove themselves. 

Jay James

Simon's first over to perform was Welshman Jay James who delivered a brilliant performance of Sigma's Changing, completely different to the songs he's done in previous rounds. I thought he was brilliant and took a risk by performing something out of his comfort zone.

Stephanie Nala

Stephanie, of former Luminites fame, delivered an alternative performance of the old Bread song 'Everything I Own'. Whilst she has a distinctive voice, she lacked a certain something, and I agree with the judges comments that she would probably be happier in a group of some sort - having spent a lot of time in a group previously, it must be so strange for her to be a solo artist.

Jack Walton

Jack was chosen as Mel's wildcard by Simon, of which she was thrilled about as he is a local lad therefore has a close bond to him. He performed a version of Rihanna's Only Girl In The World. I don't really remember much of him from previous shows but he delivered a great performance, I just worry that he's not as well known as some of the other contestants which could have an effect on voting.

Chloe Jasmine

Chloe performed a jazz version of Toxic by Britney Spears which is exactly what I expected to be honest. She is not everyone's cup of tea, and is most certainly not mine however she may appeal to some people. 

Stereo Kicks

The newly named eight piece boyband were the second to perform a Katy Perry song, this time Roar. I think they delivered a fantastic performance and as expected, they trod all over Overload unfortunately!! I think they'll be in it for the long run, a few of the boys already have massive fanbases and together with the other members I think they'll most definitely prove to be popular and stay in until the finals!

Stevi Ritchie

The final wildcard, as chosen by Cheryl for Simon, added some light relief during the show. His performance of Living La Vida Loca got the crowd moving and possibly gasping in horror as he stripped his shirt open in the end haha. Definitely not a serious contender but he's a nice man and is entertaining, the crowd went mad for him!

Lauren Platt

Lauren delivered a slowed down version of Pharrell's Happy which was good - I think she was the best in the girl category and is sure to be in the competition for a while.

Blonde Electra

These madcap sisters covered Kids in America and I can only describe it as somebody throwing up rainbows in terms of being the most colourful set of the evening. The long haired sister has a decent voice but they really shouldn't be in the show in my opinion (definitely took the place of an act far more deserving *cough Concept*)

Ben Haenow

Ben delivered one of the most standout performances of the night, singing Bridge Over Troubled Water. He has such a gravelly voice, it's so nice. He comes across as a genuine person too and I hope he'll stay in for a long time!

Jake Quickenden

Another former contestant that returned following rejection at judges houses two years ago, Jake did a solid performance of Robbie Williams' She's The One. He is good but I wasn't particularly impressed by the performance, I know he can give more. Hopefully he'll be in next week to give the emotional performance I know he can deliver. He's such a nice guy, having met him a few times before, he deserves to go far.

Fleur East

Fleur's been pretty quiet on the show until her judges houses performance last week, although I remember when she reached the lives years ago with her band Addictiv Ladies.  She performed All About The Bass which received rave reviews from the judges however she received the least reaction from the audience - most people were just sat still during her performance. I'm not sure how she will fare during the public vote if I'm honest!

Only The Young

OTY performed a mashup of Jailhouse Rock and Twist and Shout. I didn't think much of them, having seen them perform in Wembley Stadium at Summertime Ball I already had a formed opinion as I didn't like them there and unfortunately they didn't prove me wrong last night either. However, they are another act that I'm sure will be in it for the long run. They have a very supportive fanbase and will be very popular, unfortunately just not my cup of tea!

Andrea Faustini

The final act was Italian man bear/pug man Andrea and quite frankly he blew everyone else out of the water with an epic performance of Michael Jackson's Earth Song. He received rave reviews and by far the best audience reaction. I 100% believe he will be in the final and I'd even put money on him being the winner!

It was a long but great night, I'm sure all the acts felt a sigh of relief getting the first show out of the way however they now have to face a double elimination tonight! I would say that the ones in trouble could be Blonde Electra and Stephanie however this is the X Factor, literally ANYTHING could happen!!

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

(Pictures courtesy of @TheXFactor twitter)