Monday 27 February 2017

The X Factor Live Tour 2017

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Concert
Genre: Pop
Date: February 26 2017
Location: Liverpool Echo Arena

The X Factor Live Tour has returned to Liverpool Echo Arena with the 2016 finalists, and based on the performances and the audience reactions, the show was a major success.

Having launched in 2004, meaning that the next series will be the 14th UK series, The X Factor has certainly seen its fair share of ups and downs, from massive worldwide success for the likes of One Direction to judging panel line-up changes. However, one of the truly great things about X Factor is how it provides a real platform for undiscovered talent to make their first step towards stardom, and never is this more evident than during the Live Tour, which showcased many of the top X Factor names from the 2016 run.

Kicking things off were 5 After Midnight with a stirring rendition of Uptown Funk. The trio performed further upbeat, disco numbers throughout the show (most notably September), and they did a great job in getting the audience on their feet and ready to dance. The opening half-hour also spotlighted Four Of Diamonds, who collaborated with 5 After Midnight as well as delivering strong performances for such songs as Royals; Honey G, who again got the crowd to its feet for customised remixes of Men In Black and Jump Jump; and Ryan Lawrie, who provided a mix of fast-paced tunes such as Twist and Shout and slower songs like If These Wings Could Fly, the latter alongside Emily Middlemas, who was superb - one of the best singers of the evening without question - who also shone with slower, quieter versions (supported by a huge vocal range, mind you) of such tunes as What Makes You Beautiful, Toxic and The Winner Takes It All.

Saara Aalto also provided unique renditions of various songs, partly due to the outstanding production techniques which were added to several tunes, but most noticeably those of Aalto. Case in point: for Quiet, Saara was handed a set of super-sized helium balloons which elevated her to the arena ceiling, and a similar, elevator-style chair also allowed Saara to rise above the crowd during a rendition of Everybody Wants To Rule The World. That's not to dismiss her singing talents, however, because she was very good; in fact, there wasn't one poor performer all night, and partly because most of the songs were familiar to the crowd, there weren't any low points throughout the show.

The show saved the best for last by waiting until the final quarter to present winner Matt Terry, who demonstrated first-class vocal talents and illustrating why he ultimately won the competition. Matt performed Put A Spell On You, One Day I'll Fly Away, Purple Rain, When Christmas Comes Around (Matt's debut single) and Writing's On The Wall, all to a high standard and to an incredibly enthusiastic crowd response. All of the former contestants returned to the stage for a final, super-funky rendition of Sax to close the show with style and pizzazz.

Going back to the production for a moment: I appreciated the extracurricular activities through the show, from the pre-show music videos of star performers like Little Mix and Olly Murs (who, of course, have X Factor experience) to the use of pyrotechnics (which was frequent, but not to the point of overkill, ensuring that its impact would not be diluted) to the superb lighting and screen effects (for example, a London Tube-style train with the logo amended to spell out "Honey G" during one of her numbers) to the variety of stand-out costumes by all performers to the use of various settings to begin or even completely perform certain tunes (such as a second stage in the middle of the arena, and sitting alongside fans to open some songs thus providing further audience interaction). Add to that TV-style intros to bring on performers or introduce songs, as well as providing show highlights, and a chance to sign up as an auditionee for the next series, and you have an experience tailor-made for the X Factor fanatic that will have matched expectations of both the young and the old.

For any fans of The X Factor, the Live Tour is well worth going to see, as a chance to both reflect upon the previous competition by being wowed once more by the finalists, and as a platform to begin feeling excitement towards the next series. Simply put, if you're a die-hard fan of The X Factor, you really need to see the Live Tour!

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

Monday 20 February 2017

Modern Baseball

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Gig
Genre: Pop Punk
Date: February 17 2017
Location: Manchester Academy 2

Heading up a busy Friday night line-up that also included warm-up acts Thin Lips and The Superweaks, Modern Baseball brought their popular pop punk style to Manchester Academy 2.

With an enthusiastic crowd looking on, Modern Baseball - who formed in 2011, and have since released three studio albums and six singles - delivered many of their most famous hits, which were performed excellently and which were very well-received. They included Wedding Singer, Note To Self, Every Day, Hiding and Tears Over Beers, all delivered brilliantly by Jake Ewald, Sean Huber and Ian Farmer.

At present, lead vocalist Brendan Lukens is taking time off from the band due to health issues, a fact that fans were aware of beforehand and which was acknowledged during the show by Jake. Far from a hindrance, fans were more than supportive, chanting Brendan's name, which is a nice reminder that at a time when many people seem to have the mentality of wanting everything or nothing at all, the fan base here was more concerned that Brendan's health improves. Besides, Jake did a fine job of keeping things moving along, to the point where someone unfamiliar with Modern Baseball would never have guessed that its main singer was not present.

The band also made this particular experience unique in a number of ways. For instance, more than one of their tunes was performed in acoustic form, which were different to their original incarnations but made for some intriguing and cool renditions nevertheless. The group also invited a member of the audience onto the stage to sing The Weekend, which is something that very few bands would be willing to do on any level (and by the way, the fan did a great job!).

The main problem - actually, the only problem - with the show was the fact that it suddenly concluded. Wrapping things up very quickly with the mention of there being no encore, the moment when the band left the stage was almost greeted with laughter, due to the absolute abruptness of it. Some were expecting an encore anyway, and therefore when it didn't happen, the finale felt very rushed, and a bit of a low note (no pun intended) to end upon. The subject of the encore is tricky, because it has become so commonplace that when a performer or group doesn't provide an encore, it's frowned upon. That was partly the case here, but it was also because the band did not introduce their last number as being the show-closer; they simply said that they were done and left. It wasn't presented as if there had been a problem or a last-minute decision to walk off, by any means, but in the future, the band may be better served to at least introduce their final song as being such, rather than informing people after the fact.

Under the circumstances, with the lead singer absent, Modern Baseball put on as good a show as could be expected from a performance standpoint. The abrupt conclusion which prevented die-hard fans from hearing some of their favourite hits put a bit of a dampener on the evening, but otherwise, it was a satisfying experience that will leave the band's supporters coming back for more.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

Friday 10 February 2017

G4: "It's all about the music to us"

Image Source: G4
Written By: Mark Armstrong

Following a successful reunion tour, coming off their original stint together in the mid-2000s, G4 are hitting the road again with their newest UK tour, which includes a performance at Parr Hall, Warrington on Thursday March 2. This comes alongside the release of their new album Love Songs, for which G4 held a special performance at HMV in Liverpool One. Beforehand, we spoke to the group about their next tour, their history together and an interesting fact which their fans may not be aware of ...

First of all, tell us about your upcoming UK tour, beginning in March.

Jonathan Ansell: "It's going to be fun! We love being on the road, it's exciting to see so many great audiences around the UK and to live in close proximity on the tour bus is something that we love and hate at the same time!"

Ben Thapa: "You love it and I hate it! (Laughs)"

What inspired you to become singers, and what attracted you to the opera style?

Mike Christie: "A lot of us have sung since we were kids. I was a chorister from the age of 8-13, and we all ended up at music college. We were all inspired to train singing, and that's where we met as a group. We formed originally as a barbershop quartet, and then it took off from there."

How much of a life-changing experience was it when you applied for The X Factor in 2004, and did you ever envision the success that you would have on the show?

Jonathan: "Massive!"

Ben: "It was definitely a massive, life-changing experience because I remember that we had a few weeks in between the filming of the auditions and when the first show was broadcast, so we had that time (to prepare), and I remember we sat in Mike's flat with a curry, and I thought 'this is the last time we'll be able to sit around and have a curry.' The next day after it went out, John with his massive blonde hair was getting recognised by everybody, saying 'were you that guy from the telly last night?' Everybody's lives did change forever; The X Factor was an amazing TV vehicle to help us onto a journey that we've been on ever since. It's been something that I don't think we could have imagined when we first set foot in the college."

You released a number of albums over the next few years including the self-titled G4, G4 and Friends and Act Three. Which songs stand out the most for you from those albums?

Jonathan: "I have to say that Bohemian Rhapsody is up there I think, as one of the biggest, more controversial but well-received releases that we put out initially in our careers. Then we went on to sing songs like Radiohead's Creep in a very different way to the original, and it's those moments that I think capture the imagination of the audience who realise that genres can be broken down. It's actually just singing and entertainment, and it's been exciting from that point on to just keep the variety going."

How did you adapt to life on the road during the early years of your careers?

Jonathan: "Getting in the pub more, at the time I think! (Laughs) That's how we adapted to it, it was a permanent haze!"

Ben: "It was fun, as we had a few more pennies to our names to spend in the bar, whereas when we were students, we were literally counting out our change, and sometimes we were lucky enough to have notes! (Laughs) So that was one good thing! But it was an amazing experience, and it just kind of passed us by in a rush sometimes. At the same time, there were other amazing experiences along the way that we remember and that we'll treasure forever."

G4 reunited in 2014, and would tour the UK again in 2015. Was it a thrill to get back together?

Jonathan: "It was mad. It was a really good experience to stand at the front of the stage and to not be able to sing for what felt like minutes while the audience were just screaming. It made us all realise that we really had to keep this going and to re-ignite our careers. It's exciting to have Nick as our new boy in the group; Matt didn't want to be part of that reunion, but it's great to see how well Nick has been embraced by the audience and how much fun he's having with it! So, it's been a good team effort from then on."

What can the Warrington audience expect from G4 on March 2?

Mike: "It's very exciting as we've never been to Parr Hall before. We'll be singing the songs from our Love Songs album, and also some of the hits from back in the day, like Bohemian Rhapsody as John mentioned, we've got a bit of opera with Nessun Dorma, a bit of Frank Sinatra with My Way, and some interesting duets with soprano that are also from our album."

Finally, tell us something about G4 that fans may not know.

Jonathan: "Gosh, that's an interesting one. Maybe that I'm not as intelligent as I might sound? (Laughs)"

Nick Ashby: "I can say that we do all help with loading the equipment in and out every day, every show, wherever it is. Even today at the signing, we've done that, and we do that for every show around the country whether it's a big theatre or not, and whether or not they already have a crew there, we always get in there and help. I think it's a really important part of the process to mentally help getting into the building. You feel like you've physically earned your beer at the end of the day! (Laughs)"

Ben: "There's no writers, there's no fluffy lambs in the dressing room, none of that stuff; it's all about the music and that's what we love, so that's what important."

G4 perform at Parr Hall, Warrington on Thursday March 2. To book your tickets, click here.

For more information about G4, click here.