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X Factor: hits, misses and wayward sirens.

The first live show of The X Factor was channeling Eurovision sometimes, but Mel B. proves she is worth the money.

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In the first live show of The X Factor a handful of performers proved why they had been selected by the judges, but several showed their inexperience in live performance.

The best acts were 16 year old Reece Mastin, who opened the show like a pint-sized Bon Jovi, vocal trio Audio Vixen and hip hop act Young Men’s Society (can they please be YMS sooner rather than later?). A few others had moments of glory.

But 23 year old Johnny Ruffo, 19 year old Tyla Bertolli and Three Wishez struggled with their material.

One singer, 25 year old Cleo Howman, missed the start of her song due to a technical issue. Maybe she’s heard those promos warning against “one stuff up.”

The show had a stuff-up of its own when sirens in the studio began wailing directly before singer Johnny Ruffo. Host Luke Jacobz was left to fill by interviewing judge Guy Sebastian until the problem was presumably sorted. Live telly….

Some of the production numbers were decidedly O.T.T.: flying singers, overgrown beds, flowers and falling petals. It was channeling Eurovision for a minute there.

So far it is outshone by Australia’s Got Talent.

But it’s clear that Mel B. has been worth the money. She was forthright, outspoken, humble, and didn’t take any crap. Love her.

21 Responses

  1. mj – it’s the same voice over guy/style as they had last year. Also, regarding Nat B., she’s actually had more success as a musical act in Australia than Natalie Imbruglia (two successful albums with The Rogue Traders and a #1 solo album with several hit singles). As a singer/performer, she knows what the acts have to be able to do.

  3. i completely agree with you David on Mel B. She was honest and humble when she needed to be. She also ate her words (paraphrasing there) which i thought was very good of her, because she could see that she had got it wrong.

  4. I can’t get over how bad the voice over was, they should fix that immediately. It was so awful, I couldn’t stop laughing! The Judges are great with the exception of Nat who is clearly out of her league. Her inclusion as a judge / mentor should send a warning sign to Shine when selecting coaches for The Voice. Where’s the musical credibility? She clearly has the look and plenty TV experience (acting/hosting) but certainly not enough musical experience and success to take on that role.

  5. I only caught a bit of this in between Undercover Boss. I thought all of the judges were really good and giving good feedback. Mel B was very good. But I liked it when Guy kept asking if the girl who sang Taylor Swift if that was the style she wanted to sing. Or words to that affect.

    Loved how there was no mention of last years winner … hehe.

    Also Luke Jacobz also sounded like he had a cold.

  8. Audio Vixen a clear standout! Guy said a couple of times “its a vocal competiton” ,too bad the mentors have picked some poor singers! Ronan has no credibility taking the twins to LA, when another group who could sing missed out……any other group that is!!

  9. The best acts for me were Reece Maston ( such a cutie too ), Audio Vixen, and YMC. Some of the others really struggled with first night nerves. Great production values and overall very entertaining.

  10. I agree with Cookie, Declan and Christina were my highlights last night. Also enjoyed the performances from the groups, that girl from Three Wishez is stunning

    I’d predict the bottom 3 to be Andrew, Mitchell and Johnny Ruffo based on last night

  14. As Guy pointed out, Cleo did exactly the same thing during rehearsal and missed her cue at the same point, so blaming it on “technical issues” was a cop out on her part. On Idol, Guy would have been happy to overlook that, but on a show like this that pits the judges against each other, he chose to highlight it to show that she had missed the mark.

    As for Mel B., she proved last year that she struggles live when she performed “Stop” with the cast the week she was a guest mentor, but she’s still a good singer. It was clear last night that she was given the fewest solo lines to sing, but given that she’s just had another baby, this is understandable!

  16. Peronsally I was wondering if the judges were deaf. Some of the acts they raved over were woeful. The thing in the beds was cringeworthy and the flowers with Taylor Swift – ye gads!! Personally, I was very disappointed with the level of so called “talent”. That said, it was an enjoyable show and the production values were good.

  17. Mel B? Can’t sing. What she did to Jacki was laughable. Really, I laughed out loud. And I specifically remember her making the same point as Guy Sebastian but in a ruder way. So this somehow makes her better?? The sound was shite.

  19. Highlights for me – Declan, Christina and Audio Vixen. Overall, they were mostly of a much higher standard than last year. Assisted also by good production. Natalie, who should have kept Marina, made some pretty appalling song choices for her talent – e.g. that poor tattooed country kid had to warble Rihanna’s Only Girl in The World…what was that????? Awful… Cleo was actually suriprisingly good, despite her missed cue. Who should go home based on last night? Johnny, Tyla and, maybe, Andrew. Sadly, voting probably will go completely in another direction….meaning someone good will go and someone like Johnny, who is not as talented will stay.

  21. Well, I really enjoyed it. The girl getting hoisted up into the air did scream eurovision. The judging panel has a great dynamic, mel b is fantastic, but guy and Ronan hold their own as well, I think maybe nat is the weak link at this stage. Anyway, loved it. It’s like Idol on crack!

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