‘The X Factor’ UK review: Sam Bailey, Luke Britnell, Hannah Barrett dominate premiere
“The X Factor” UK was desperate to hype up its new season almost all summer long, especially when it came to hyping up the legacy of the series. To an extent, we certainly get the desire to do something like this. It’s a show that has become a ratings monster for ITV, and has launched the careers of such people as One Direction and Olly Murs; however, the numbers dropped last year, and bringing on the super-entertaining Sharon Osbourne is supposedly going to help to try and turn things around.
Did it work? The judges in the audition room this week were at least pretty entertaining, so we cannot complain about that. Also, there were a few talented people mixed in here that we do think that we could be seeing a good bit more of in the future.
The good acts (the ones you want to remember)
Luke Friend – What a happy last name for Luke! The funniest part of his pre-show audition package is the question from Louis Walsh as to whether or not his hair is real. Seriously? He’s 17! He had a little bit of nervousness in this audition, but he was a sort of pop / soul / rock hybrid that could do very well on the show … plus get some support from the ladies, who control much of the record sales after the fact.
Alejandro Fernandez – His first name is of a Lady Gaga song, and he’s not a bad singer that the ladies will like. Unfortunately, his voice is not as “perfect” as the song suggested. His voice is a little too classical to go far in this competition, but it’s enough for the next round.
Tom Mann – Wait, is Tom little Olly Murs? That is what it definitely looked like based on the audition alone. His voice doesn’t sound that much like Olly, but he looks almost identical to him. We don’t see him getting as far in the competition.
Fil Henley – Okay, this guy is even more entertaining than he showed in the preview video. We thought he was younger than 30, and the idea of a rocker who lives with his mom is not that appealing. He seems like a nice guy and he’s talented, but there is some disconnect here. This whole ordeal was mostly just hysterical, thanks to the idea of seeing Fil and his nice smile being morphed into a rock god.
Silver Rock – Easily, one of the more intriguing acts of the entire episode. These two auditioned together, but were actually split up into soloists because they were terrible together. We don’t know if they invented anything new musically, but they were rather good.
Siana Schofield – A much more distinctive solo vocalist, and someone who is going to stand out better. “The X Factor” needs some more strong women after the guys took over last year, and she could very much help to lead the way.
Rielle Carrington – Another interesting female singer, but we barely saw anything of her.
Hannah Barrett – The other audition that we profiled prior to the start of this show, and a pretty darn sensational singer. One of the best female singers of the night, and she’s got the sort of emotional, powerful story that is going to appeal to people voting down the road.
Euphoria Girls – This was basically the end result of a group of pageant girls who looked like they were performing at school. We have no idea how they got through, unless the show is really that desperate for groups. They are all happy and cheery, but dreadful singers.
Luke Britnell – Luke seems like a pretty nice guy, and also, he’s a Justin Bieber tribute act who didn’t come on the show and just sing Justin Bieber. We don’t think that his voice is the best on the planet, and we’re sure that every cynical person alive hates him. But still, a nice, upbeat audition that Nicole Scherzinger loved. Also, he really doesn’t look that much like Justin Bieber.
Sam Bailey – Can Sam be the Susan Boyle of the season? She is definitely someone that could be. This is one of the top ten auditions that we’ve seen in seven years of covering TV around the globe. Not only was she an incredible singer, but having that voice come out of a 35-year old prison officer and mother? Amazing. One of the most touching stories out there, and she has to be a lock already to make the live rounds. Remember this name, folks: You’ll be hearing more from her.
The terrible acts (which you are already trying to forget)
J Star Valentine – Wait, this guy has been gigging? With a name like “J Star,” we knew that it was probably not a good idea to take him seriously. It was like he was doing throat-singing, but not doing it right and insulting Leonard Cohen at the same time.
Christian – We don’t think the hoodie / undies combination is going to become a fashion trend anytime soon.
Dudley Cowan – He was mostly just brought on so that Sharon Obourne could say he sang like a dolphin.
Alex Baldwin – He’s awful, but in more important news, he’s one letter away from Alec Baldwin!
Elizabeth Myers – The token older person who was embarrassed, and the latest victim of Nicole telling them that they have a “Yes” for something other than the show.
Who was your favorite from “The X Factor” premiere? Of course, we want to hear your thoughts below! If you want to see all of the rest of our “X Factor” coverage, just be sure to click here.
Photo: ITV