X Factor First Live Show: Ella Henderson And Jahmene Douglas Impress!

WENN

Tonight was the first of the X Factor live shows and provided the first glimpse of which acts can really cut in a live environment as they strive to become the winner of the X Factor.

The show began with the announcement of who had emerged victorious from the wildcard public vote.Chris Maloney from the over 28’s category was seen to be ecstatic as his victory was announced.

Each act had to sing a song with the common theme of “Heroes” and it was the turn of District 3 first. The boy band were previously known as GMD3 before appealing to their fans for a new name and their performance of Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” didn’t seem like the blazing start we wanted to expect from the live shows. Their vocals were a little flat at times and it seemed that they struggled to carve their own sense of originality within the competition.

James Arthur was up next, and although his performance of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” seemed vocally impressive, Gary Barlow was far from impressed, encouraging Arthur to “say no” to the changes to his appearance that the production team were apparently forcing upon him.

As the over 28’s staked their first claim to the X Factor crown, Melanie Masson blew us all away with an inspired performance of “With a little help from my friends”. Her vocals seemed incredibly powerful and she succeeded in helping to buck the unfashionable tag often attached to the overs category.

If ever there was a performance that screamed style over substance, then it was that of Rylan Clark as he sang “Gold” by Spandau Ballet, although his elaborate staging seemed to detract from his vocals.

It’s an old cliché to say that the best was saved till last, but that’s exactly what the show provided tonight, with the performances of Ella Henderson and Jahmene Douglas respectively . Ella Henderson’s performance of Rule The World led Gary Barlow to claim that she had trumped his own performance of the song, whilst Jahmene’s performance of Imagine provided a soulful take on John Lennon’s timeless classic. Although it’s only the first week, these two seem the ones to watch.

What did you think of the first live show?

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