The X Factor - First Live Show

After a few agonising weeks The X Factor finalists have eventually got that much-talked-about first performance out of the way and most of them did very well on the big stage.

The Standout Stars
It’s always hard to pick out the front-runners in the first few weeks. Some contestants start slowly and improve as the series goes on. Some give consistently good performances, setting the standard from the beginning. This year I didn’t think that anyone gave a ‘wow’ performance on show one but a couple proved that they could cope with the pressure better than expected. Joe was one such singer. I really liked him in auditions but I was terrified that the nerves would cripple him during his first live performance. Instead he really gave it his all. And, despite some of the judges’ comments, I thought that Lucie did really well with her big song.

I loved the ladies from Miss Frank. They gave a really solid performance. But in the weeks to come I’d like to see them taking a few more risks, getting back to the rapping and giving a bit more attitude in their performances. I also really liked Stacey’s performance. It was a really brave song choice and I thought that she totally pulled it off.

Room for Improvement
It pains me to say it, because I loved him in the auditions and at bootcamp, but I thought that Lloyd struggled a little bit with his first performance. It sounded like he let his nerves get to him and then got a bit overwhelmed by the choreography as well. I also thought that the twins struggled a little bit vocally but you’d have to credit them with showing massive enthusiasm and really trying to entertain. As for Kandy Rain, who eventually walked the plank, I didn’t think that they were awful but they didn’t stand out either. Maybe it was the song choice, or even the costumes, like Dannii and Cheryl suggested, but you could tell that they might struggle with votes from early on in their performance. Rachel, on the other hand, should not have been in the bottom two. Personally, I didn’t like her song choice (I didn’t think that it showed her full potential) but she always gives the performances her all and she did have the awful job of opening the show this year, so I felt for her when she was placed in the sing-off.

Tone It Down Judges!
Did anyone else think that the judges were a little bit mean last night, especially considering the fact that it was only week one? I thought that Dannii and Cheryl were a little harsh in their comments towards Kandy Rain, that there was no need for Simon to rant on about Rachel’s make-up and that Dannii just shouldn’t have gone there with her comments towards Danyl. I know that Cheryl later apologised to Kandy Rain and Dannii said that she didn’t intend to offend anyone with her comments but why do it in the first place if not to stir things up with the other judges? I’m all for the banter on the panel but sometimes it’s a bit mean when they use the contestants to score points.

Linda McGee