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)

Final stop, Glasgow!

It's nearly been a week since Kingsland's tour finished :((( but I thought I'd write about Glasgow as the final night was definitely one of my favourites!

Whilst queuing outside the O2 ABC I managed to meet and get a picture with Ben from Canary Swing which meant that I met them all during the week - he was lovely but the sun decided to ruin our picture!

Once inside, we had our final meet and greet with the boys which was lovely. I already miss them all so much and it's been strange not seeing them every day since I've been home. Plenty of swaying hugs were had, Thomps told Darren not to blame me for him being useless with my camera and Connor was generally creepy cos he kept stroking me... We had our group picture and Darren also took some whilst we were chatting.

(this was our third try, got there in the end!)

(Cuddles with my favourite person ever!)

(Forever looking in disgust at Con oops haha! Wasn't a fan of the stroking...)

I was also reunited with Shauni who lives in Scotland. I've only met her a few times but she is so lovely :)

After everyone met the boys, we ran to get the barrier, which I managed at last!!! I was so pleased as me, mum and Joey were together on the barrier for the final date, as we'd done all six dates throughout the week. Emily also got barrier so we made sure it was going to be a gig to remember.

(Tour buddies!)

It was absolutely manic!! We had great fun during the support acts, being noticed by Canary Swing and In Hinsight was really cute! (Jessica Alice kept ignoring us despite singing along to her songs haha). 

We started a chant for Canary Swing before they walked on as well as chanting for several of their team haha! I managed to get some good pictures and videos as keepsakes (they can never be posted as my singing is atrocious wow). It was amazing to watch Canary Swing and In Hindsight all week and I hope I can see them again soon, definitely new favourites of mine!

Finally it was time for the boys, and boy did the crowd go crazy!!! For the first time, we were in the "splashing zone" for Walk Away, basically being spat water on by Thomps which I was oddly thrilled about (I was hyper as anything by that night looool). Josh also noticed us straight away as we were singing our hearts out!

(This is how close we were at times!)

I would never have thought to compare a boyband gig to that of a mosh pit but on several occasions I was rammed into the barrier, had my hair pulled and nearly got strangled as Thomps stood infront of me and leaned into the crowd (subsequently I shoved him by the knee so that he would move back, only for him to come back again and stand even closer yay!!) - Glasgow girls are crazy but it all added to the atmosphere! 

We sang, danced and gave all our energy and it was amazing to be able to watch them from the very front, with no one blocking my short self, and being able to go completely crazy!  We even managed to do a shuffle from side to side during He's Got It Coming, copying the boys dance moves, as we also did during Treasure!

(Selfie with Flynny!) 

It was really sad to see them leave the stage for the final time. It was the most amazing week of my life being able to watch them every night. Many ask me, why would you want to see the same show 6 times, but it really wasn't the same at all. Every night was spent watching from a different position (let me reassure you, as rough as it was, there is no better experience than being on the barrier), watching with different friends as well as being in various cities and atmospheres. The Birmingham crowd for example was pretty special as lots of the boys' family and friends were present. To be honest, even if it was exactly the same every night, I would still enjoy it as nothing gives me a greater buzz than watching those boys on stage. You can tell how much they love life when they are performing!

The end of tour also marks the release of Dirty Dancer, their debut single! They need to chart within the top 40 on Sunday, and they are so close to doing so! Please help to support them by downloading the single and EP NOW!!!

available on: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play

signed physical copy: Pledge

listen on: Spotify and Deezer

iTunes

Radio Edit: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dirty-dancer-radio-edit/id893584250?i=893584323

Full Version: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dirty-dancer-single/id895106651

EP: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dirty-dancer-ep/id895107767

Remixes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dirty-dancer-remixes-ep/id907124622

* GIFTING THE SINGLE TO ANYONE IN THE UK ON ITUNES - SEND ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES ON TWITTER @TweamJLS_TW *

Hopefully going to write a little roundup over the weekend, as it's the first weekend I've been at home for in weeks! Although I'm buzzing to see the boys again next week in Colwyn Bay haha!

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

Round 5 - Newcastle!

So tour has now sadly come an end :((( but to celebrate, here's two blog posts - firstly about Newcastle!

Newcastle (round 5) was one of my favourite gigs during the tour - we manage to get a good spot and just went crazy. We spent the gig with Gabrielle and Danielle, our fellow Welshies which was amazing!

(post gig pic in the pouring rain, as you do) 

The support acts for this night were Aiden Hancock, In Hindsight, Canary Swing and Jessica Alice. Aiden was good considering he's quite young, and we decided to be very enthusiastic for Jessica's performance!  However the stand out support acts on tour were definitely In Hindsight and Canary Swing.

I'd never seen In Hindsight before this tour however I think they are amazing, and I'm quite keen to go and see them on their own tour in October! Dangerous is my favourite song of theirs, there's a breakdown near the end where they perform solos and Michael starts rapping, I was completely sold by that point, it sounded amazing!

I've mentioned on numerous occasions how brilliant Canary Swing are, and they just keep getting better and better, they need to tour again soon!

Finally it was time for Kingsland, who performed another energetic and memorable show. We sang our hearts out with them and for the first time I actually jumped at a gig - I never jump for anyone but there I was during Sing, jumping up and down and swinging a Kingsland t-short round my head...... (Note to self, never buy loads of merch before a gig when you have no bag to carry it as it gets in the way - I ended up with 4 band t-shirts in my hands, falling on the floor etc, not great lol. I must also note at this point, how lovely Callum is, who was selling Kingsland's merch. It was so nice to meet him at last!)

Newcastle was the night where I met the support acts as well as the boys outside. It was absolutely pouring down but luckily I met George from Canary Swing and Michael from In Hindsight inside so got decent pictures!

(Michael)

(George)

Once outside, I managed to get drowned rat selfies with Matt, Josh, Jay and Thomps, as well as Cory and Sam from Canary Swing.

It was a brilliant night, although one step closer to the last gig in Glasgow, which you'll read more about in the next post....

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

KL Round 3 and 4 - Brum and Manc

Rounds 3 and 4 of The Kingsland Road Show tour saw the boys stop in Birmingham and Manchester! Both were sold out shows which meant the atmosphere was electric in the venues!

On Wednesday, the boys also visited two radio stations in Birmingham, Free Radio and BBC Radio West Midlands. We missed the boys arriving at Free Radio as we'd only just arrived after our long train journey but I managed to meet Con and Thomps when they stopped on their way out.

Afterwards we went back to the train station to meet one of my faves Em and her friend Leah. Em is like my little sister, and we met through being fans of Times Red. I hadn't seen her since December so I was super excited to be reunited and hopefully help her to meet Kingsland!

We headed to the Mailbox, and luckily there was a Nandos opposite the radio so we could eat and keep an eye on what was going on - once we heard screams, we knew the boys had arrived! We ran out of Nandos, leaving poor Leah to carry on eating and headed straight to Matt as he is Em's fave. 

He was so precious to her, it made my day to see her so happy and that her fave was so lovely to her. I'd already told him about her in Swansea, and he loved the Minion Haribo she gave him ;) I grabbed a quick photo with him too!  

She also managed to meet Thomps and Jay who were equally as lovely to her - I think she's fallen even more in love with the boys now so mission accomplished ;)

The gig itself at the O2 Academy was amazing, such a good atmosphere, made even more special for the boys as lots of their family and friends were present! I got to see Doddy again, who's Thomps' friend but also drove the boys to my house when I won a competition for them to perform last year. He's always so lovely to us! I spent the gig with Faye and her friend, one of my longest klander friends, she's absolutely crazy but I love her!

Yesterday we travelled on to Manchester for the 4th show. This time there was a change in support acts. As well as Jessica Alice, there was also Liverpool based boyband Mic Lowry, as well as a band called In Hindsight. I've seen Mic Lowry briefly before at a Soccer Six event and they were fab once again. I also think I've potentially found some new faves in the form of In Hindsight, who will be supporting for the rest of the tour!

The gig itself was one of my favourites so far, definitely one of the best venues! Despite being near the back, I had a brilliant view and danced and sang along til I practically lost my voice. Kingsland Road always put on an energetic show, their vocals were on point and their new songs are firmly cemented into my brain!!

After the show, everyone ran outside to try and meet them, which was particularly manic although I expected nothing less from Manchester haha! I managed to help a girl get her phone case signed by Josh, and hugged Matt to thank him for how he was with Em the day before. I also got to see Doddy again, and as Thomps had gone back to the car, I asked him just to pass on the message that we had been there, but instead he went to the car and brought him out to us so we could have a hug! 

I can't believe that we're nearing the end of tour!! It's going to be so strange when it ends. I'm currently sat on the train to Newcastle, which will be an experience in itself as I have never been there before! I can't wait to be reunited with one of my fave Welshies Gabrielle who happens to be in Newcastle at the moment!

Hwyl am y tro ✌️