With All That Glamour and Glitter - Miss Ferguson Hits The Road!

Proving that you can still be a huge success being the runner up on a talent show such as X Factor Rebecca Ferguson is fast becoming a credible artist in her own right.

Choosing a style of music that is truly her own, but adding a familiar sound of Adele and Duffy is a winning formula.

Rebecca hits the road for her debut Heaven tour, with 16 dates to get through, she decided to kick it off in Sunny Wales, starting with her pre-tour shows in Rhyl's Pavilion Theatre. Two dates were sold out and I was at the first night, eagerly awaiting to hear her amazing album live. 

Opening with the mighty Fighting Suspicion, Rebecca Ferguson emerged on to the stage in Rhyl without much fuss just a shadow, then the echo of her fantastic voice boomed throughout the Pavilion Theatre.

To Rebecca's horror the microphone cut off half way through her performance forcing the true professional to stop and go off stage to sort out the sound technicians. I thought the way she handled this was brilliant. With humour and true professionalism.

Much to the fans delight Rebecca returned to the stage to roars of anticipation bursting into fan favourite Mr Bright Eyes. 

I was delighted with her choice of stage design as it was very simple and not too overly produced, also she wore the same elegant dress throughout choosing not to waste time with costume changes. This is rare to see from my experience of seeing ex-talent show contestants. This proved Rebecca is all about the music and giving her all for her performance. 

Rebecca's shy but quietly confident manner won the hearts of the nation on X Factor, and this shines through on stage on this tour. Her humour and bubbly personality came through in between songs as she shyly explained to us what her songs were about. Proving to her critics that she really has written her debut.

My personal favourites on the album are Fairytale and Run Free. After hearing the lady herself belting these out live on stage they have become firm favourites now! Rebecca performed the entire album and a few surprises. The main surprise for me was a set that included around four fast songs back to back. That all do not feature on the album. 

So if you are going along to the tour, look out for the fast section of the show. It had everyone in Rhyl dancing in their seats. I found the songs that had most appreciation from the audience were Teach Me How To Be Loved, Diamond To A Stone and the brilliant Glitter and Gold. 

The crowd were also pleased that Rebecca sang her audition song, it really showed how far she has come since her first audition. Bursting into Sam Cooks "A Change Is Gonna Come" Rebecca openly admitted that she will sing it without looking at her feet. Our Scouse Star is now shining.

Rebecca left the stage before coming back for one last time to sing her massive hit Nothings Real But Love, after the crowd roared with great expectation to hear this amazing song.


Seeing Miss Ferguson singing this live to an excited audience just goes to show that winning is not the ticket to success. Pure hard work and determination to express yourself through music is the real success. 

Well Done Rebecca, can't wait to see you again. 

Rebecca preparing to go on stage at Rhyl

Rebecca can be found on Twitter @RebeccaFmusic and check out Rebecca's Official Website 

Cheap Date for Jessie J in Liverpool!

By SCOTT WILLIAMS

I caught Jessie J's Heartbeat tour in Liverpool University on Saturday night after an exciting build up. It was touch and go as to whether the singer would be able to continue with the tour after an accident causing a broken foot in the summer.

After a stressful day finding a way to get to Liverpool from Manchester I arrived with great expectations to hear my favourite songs from her debut album Who You Are. I had heard Jessie would play some new songs too, so could not wait for these.

As a huge fan I could not wait to see what the tour would be like so I found some footage on youtube from her Birmingham opening gig back in April and Manchester the night before. I was beyond excited after seeing these clips, as the stage was amazing and her voice incredible!

Upon arrival some disappointment set in as I turned up in Liverpool at the University building. I had never been to a gig there before so I had an open mind. Then walking into the venue hall and seeing the stage I was a little bit down hearted. 

I was expecting a massive Jessie J sign and a spell binding set. All we had in Liverpool was black backdrop and red stairs. Therefore the Jessie J show was not really set alight in the scouse city. 

I was also disappointed with the stage entrance, I was anticipating Mamma Knows Best to belt out like in Birmingham to kick off the show in style. Instead we had a slow start as Jessie strolled onto the stage and sang the ballad Big White Room.

Although it was a slow start Jessie rocked the room and belted out her hits, and fan album favourites! I still have much respect for Jessie as a live performer, her energy and stage presence truly makes her a star. 

Her eyes sparkled on stage and she is clearly humble to her fans for their loyal support. This was shown when she signed items the crowd threw to her on stage. 

The show highlights for me were my personal favourite song Abracadabra. Jessie's powerful voice and playful stage presence really shone on this track. Mamma Knows Best was brilliant live, and it seemed like a song the lady herself enjoys performing too. Price Tag was a crowd favourite as was Nobody's Perfect. 

Liverpool crowds are always loud and this one was no exception, Jessie even commented that we were the loudest crowd on the tour so far. You can always tell when the audience loves a song as the phones light up the room with filming and pictures being taken. 

Jessie's sensitive side came through on her ballads especially on I Need This and Casualty of Love, her voice is very powerful and seemingly effortless. I loved hearing the new song My Shadow, it was an emotional song with real, heartfelt lyrics. Definitely a potential single.

Who You Are was the most emotional performance of the night as Jessie was nearly in tears singing this song. Its a personal track that has hit a nerve with her hearbeats globally. Its a very empowering song that will become the anthem of her career. 

Due to the poor quality of the venue Jessie was unable to deliver an encore so instead her costume change consisted of grabbing a hat from the crew to deliver Do It Like A Dude. 

The performer within exploded onto the stage during this track. To finish off the set Jessie launched herself in to a new song called Domino, the energetic song was a crowd pleaser and went down a storm! It has a familiar sound, a bit like Toploader's Dancing In The Moonlight. 

Jessie's Encore Performance Shot 

Topped off with gold confetti blasting out from the stage this was a brilliant end to a fantastic show....just a shame the venue did not deliver!!

Overall Jessie J was amazing live, and she is a true performer. Her big voice deserves to be heard in Arena's now as the star is an all round show girl at heart, and her heartbeats (myself included) would relish the chance to see her shine on a big stage! 

*See the fan footage below of the Liverpool entrance and the Birmingham debut.

Liverpool

Birmingham April 2011

Domino Live in Liverpool - 22nd October 2011 - Performance of the Night!

Stadium Rockers Recapture Youth With New Album!

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

With this seventh studio album the stadium rockers have decided to recapture the youth of their careers, and record in Dave's garage. Now, when I say garage realistically we're not talking the sort of cramped, mouldy den that most novice band practices take place in, but it is an indication of what the band are aiming for - getting back to basics. 

The epic rockers remind us why they've stuck around so long with this offering; bringing a pleasing mix of shout-evoking rock, infectious 'trapped in your head' lyrics and those classic Foo mellow-moments. To add to the merriment the band have enlisted the help of veteran Foo’s guitarist Pat Smear, who is permanently back on board, as well as Krist Novoselic of Nirvana playing bass on 'I should have known'.

Particular highlights include the album opener 'Bridge Burner', which starts things off exactly the way a Foo’s album should be - punchy, fast and making you want to drum or strum any object you can find. With the track 'Arlandria', we're treated to those kinds of lyrics that will go around, and around, and around your head, but all in a good way. 

'I should have known' provides a haunting, emotional tune that the band does ever so well - overall achieving a good variation of mood throughout.

All in all, although Wasting Light can't be deemed groundbreaking, it is the archetypal Foo Fighters sound that, let's face it, we can't get enough of.

Michelle Shaw

Glee's Magic is back with a cracking soundtrack!

Felicity Dudley gives her verdict on Glee, Series 2: Part 1

I believe, although slow going, this series has done itself a favour. Over the course of the final episodes- the ones that “don’t like the choice of music so therefore the episode was lousy” or “Why are they together that makes no sense… I would’ve put him with her blah blah blah…?” it’s time to sift you all out. Not every song can be from your top ten and its set in a High school in Middle America!

I love that in this series Kurt’s character has really flourished; subsequently Finn’s character has become loving and accepting towards his new stepbrother. Rachel has continued to make her voice the envy of all women, while Mike Chang’s moves make him irresistible to women. Brittany S. Pierce has been a breath of fresh air, and even though she is the dumb blonde she is probably the most lovable of all the females in the cast.

Mr. Shuester (Mr Shu) continues to look amazing, and has been giving us some amazing covers and dance moves from his repertoire- which is long overdue for a Broadway actor. Granted, Miss Pillsbury (Emma), has been a bit of a prissy princess but without Mr Shu’s pursuit of his true love, it just wouldn’t be Glee

Britney Spears also makes an appearance in series 2!

The playlist has been top notch, from incorporating Lady Gaga once more to Justin Bieber, from Broadway show tunes to…Hold your breath now… Rebecca Black. It was expected that in the first series they gave us everything they got, but now as the viewer’s we need to be patient and let Glee set itself at a nice pace- we still have the Glee clubs senior year to come, remember!

Watch it now on E4!

Born To Entertain!

Born This Way - Album Review 

By SCOTT WILLIAMS

The Mighty GaGa is good, but she just wants to be bad!! She was Born This Way....to entertain her Little Monsters on an incredible journey to secure herself a firm place in pop history! 

Lady GaGa's long awaited second album has landed....and is more controversial, sexy, passionate and lyrically masterful than the massively successful debut The Fame. This time around Gaga is confident in herself, oozes sex appeal and has her middle finger up to all her haters.

Without a shadow of a doubt the Lady has found her comfort zone then pushed the boundaries so far the its almost impossible for anyone to compete.

There are some similarities to Madonna on this album especially on track Black Jesus. It is like a GaGa mash up of Vogue and Express Yourself. Although there are no hints of Madonna's material being sampled its quite clear this would be where her inspiration may have came from.

After having this album on repeat since purchase, the stand alone favourites are Marry the Night, Black Jesus and Bad Kids. All potential single releases.

You and I is a firm fave as her vocal ability really shines on this song, and of course was showcase on her last tour. The piano led jazzy theme to this track really draws you into the atmospheric ballad.

Born This Way is the controversial yet empowering first release from this album and will continue to be one of her classics. Judas is the religious theme song that outraged some church goers, but to most of us just made Lady Gaga inspirational.

The Edge of Glory is the first time we heard a more laid back sounding GaGa, whilst still maintaining her anthemic chorus. GaGa is clearly inspired with the 80's sound on this long player, and mixes up different styles of music with one track. This is a winning formula, and what the singer / songwriter does best!

Other highlights of this brilliant album are Electric Chapel and Highway Unicorn, both different songs separately but they resemeble the message of GaGa effectively. These songs define the albums tone and give the album the sense of maturity and sheer bonkers writing that puts Miss GaGa at the top of her game.

Watch out Timberlake...Usher is back and OMG!

CAUGHT LIVE 
By Scott Williams

The Mighty Usher was on top form as he hit the road with his OMG Tour! After 15 years of huge success we were truly in the presence of Talent in the 2 hour show. As an original Usher fan I had high expectations for the show as this was the first time I had seen him live, and he certainly delivered at Manchester's Arena.

To a roaring crowd, leather clad Usher surprised us all by making a grand entrance, flying on a platform at the back of the arena to the stage whilst singing opening song Monstar.

As the crowd went wild he then teased the audience by simulating a strip tease and throwing his jacket to the side of the stage before bursting into She Don't Know.

Stomping into Yeah! followed by old favourites U Remind Me and U Don't Have to Call. I was very pleased these songs were included, with so many hits it was easy to drop the old songs for the new ones. So as the show progressed I was delighted to hear the oldies like Burn and Caught Up.

I was especially excited to see The Man perform U Make Me Wanna and Nice and Slow from the first album. I was however, slightly disappointed that My Way wasn't in the set list. Also Pop Ya Collar failed to pop up.

He more than made up for that though with an amazing performance of Trading Places, as he seduced a girl from the audience sending the Ladies into a frenzy! Then on to dancefloor hits Love In This Club, Hey Tottie, Hey Daddy and DJ Got Us Fallin In Love.

After failing to realise he was in Manchester by calling us London! He got boo'ed for trying to make up for it with a mention of the Manchester football rivalry, so obviously the phrase Manchester C'mon after this was winning us back on side.

Towards the end of the show Usher teased by unveiling a sparkly pair of boots, as a tribute to Michael Jackson. The crowd screamed with anticipation when the opening bars of Don't Stop Til You Get Enough belted out. 

Then he started dancing MJ style to a chanting audience, but sadly only sang one line. This left everyone extremely in disheartened as it would have been a far better tribute to sing at least one song in honour of the King of Pop, who he modelled his career on. 

Finishing a gruelling show Usher closed his set with OMG, and this was well worth the wait til the end. His energetic dance moves and powerful voice, although shaky at times, was spectacular! We were truly in the presence of talent and experience. Justin Timberlake should be quaking in his boots, as Usher is back and OMG what a concert!!

 

The Beast Unleashed in Rhyl!

By SCOTT WILLIAMS 

Alexandra Burke began her All Night Long Tour with a two date run at the Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl last week. The show was fantastic and the X Factor winner wowed the crowd with her powerful voice and intense stage presence. 

I was there for the second Rhyl night of the 31 date national theatre tour. It was hard to believe this was Alex's first tour where she was the headlining act.

The show was slick and Alex's voice was on top form. Bursting on the stage with her third solo single Broken Heels, within seconds the crowd were on their feet ready to party. 

Highlights of the show were the smash hit All Night Long, Dumb and Start Without You, all had the audience in the mood to dance and it was clear Alex was on a mission to give her fans a night to remember. 
Crowd pleasers were the fantastic debut single Hallelujah, Alex's voice was at its best of the evening on this performance, as well as on Perfect during her acoustic set. 

It was clear that Alex has a passion for music and performing, this was obvious with her choice of covers, which included her hero Beyonce singing Listen her voice was incredible on this song.  Also there was also a questionable Destiny's Child set where her two backing singers joined her on centre stage. 
Alex chose to cover Neyo's Closer and the late Michael Jackson's Dangerous. Both of which she sang with passion.


After a roaring audience demanded more Alex retuned to the stage for an encore and brought the house down on Bad Boys. Wearing a baseball cap, her energy shone and together with the dancers they left us wanting more at the end of the show. 

Rhyl has become a popular venue to host the warm up dates for the latest artists to begin their tours, from the likes of Girls Aloud in the early days to recently JLS teasing the crowds.

The Saturdays, The Wanted and Olly Murs are all next in line to appear in Rhyl this year.

Since winning the X Factor in 2008 fans all over Britain have been waiting to see their winner on the road performing songs from her debut album Overcome. And it really has been worth the wait!! 


Alex calls herself The Beast when she performs live, and during this All Night Long Tour....


The Beast has officially been.... Unleashed!! 


Support acts on the tour were Carrie Mac, a brilliant solo artist from Edinburgh. She reminded me of Nadine Coyle. Also new girl band Parade. Both release singles in March check out my blog for more details.

Carrie Mac 

Parade