‘The X Factor’ UK live review: Lauren Platt, Andrea Fuastini, Fleur East tackle Queen, Michael Jackson

Tonight, the contestants on “The X Factor” UK tackled quite an unusual theme: Songs from the Michael Jackson and Queen catalogs.

Ultimately, we expected a few duds in here, but also some performances that blew us away. This hit-or-miss quality is what you have to expect with this sort of theme. We’re going to have updates on this article throughout the show, so be sure to refresh and come back.

Paul Akister, “Don’t Stop Me Now” – Paul had a challenge to show that he actually could perform in addition to sing. He did a decent job with the song, but we didn’t care for this weird, synth-heavy arrangement in the slightest. Too distracting.

Jay James, “The Show Must Go On” – Jay’s voice isn’t really booming, and we blame Simon Cowell almost entirely for this being of Jay’s weaker performances. It just had no real build or emotion to it; if Jay’s voice is hurting, he probably should have done something a little different.

Lauren Platt, “I’ll Be There” – An extremely hard song. It seems simple at first, but it is extremely challenging vocally. You can easily do too much with the runs, and ruin the original sentiment of the song. Lauren was almost perfect in here; there were a few too many runs in here, but overall, a sensational version of the song.

Ben Haenow, “Man in the Mirror” – A very good vocal performance, but we do wish in a way that we got to see a little more of an original arrangement. For a few times now, we feel like his performances are more of a straight-up cover of someone else’s.

Stevi Ritchie, “Bohemian Rhapsody” – This was certainly bizarre, now wasn’t it? Stevi is entertainment, and that’s why we want to see him on the tour. We’re already convinced that he has no real shot at winning this.

Stereo Kicks, “You Are Not Alone” – A pretty good performance, especially considering how halfway through it there was some idiot who ran up on stage.

Fleur East, “Will You Be There” – Of course, Fleur nailed this, and there was never any question about if she could sing. It’s all about light and shade, and she is proving week in and week out that she can do it all.

Andrea Faustini, “Somebody to Love” – Sensational. Easily the best of the night, and more proof that this is a guy who means some pretty serious business with the right song in front of him. This is further proof why he is the frontrunner.

What did you think about this weekend’s show, and who was your favorite of the group? Share right now with a comment, and head over here to get some further updates on the series, including contestant rankings! You can also sign up to get some further TV updates on all we cover right away via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via ITV.)