Third Show: Rock Week
Week three of the live shows is rock week, which in X-Factor language means any old song remixed with a guiter riff here and a drum roll there. It also usually means a poor song selection as X-Factor producers confirm rumours that they wouldn't know rock if it slapped them in the face. Despite that, The Urbanite still sat through the show to give you all some analysis and predictions. So read on!
1: Marcus
Opening up the show was everyone's favourite scouser, Marcus, singing the Lenny Kravitz banger 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'. Being the show's most versatile singer means Marcus performs week in week out without looking like he is out his comfort zone. Great start to the programme from Marcus, as usual: 8/10
2: Janet Devlin
It is easy to see why the public like Janet. With her angel-like voice and her 'normal-girl' image, there is nothing not to like about her. There is a danger, however, that people will bore of Janet and stop voting for her. That danger is not really addressed by her performance of Guns and Roses 'Sweet O Child of Mine', which is at least an actual rock song. Although she moves around the stage a bit more, it still is a bit routine. Hopefully she can gain more confidence and actually 'perform' a bit more, but for this week at least the girl is safe 7/10
3: Sami
On the topic of boring, up next is Sami. Sure, the girl can sing. But she has Louis as a mentor, who I can imagine constantly picks songs for her that she cannot stand. Like 'Turn Back Time', which has the effect of adding 30years to Sami's age. And, as Gary says afterwards, it is boring. So boring that you have to feel sorry for her, especially when she has to practically beg into the camera for a vote like an orphaned African child on one of those Oxfam adverts. She may be in trouble this week 5/10
4: Rhythmix
The only girl band in X-Factor history that has a chance of making it far in the competition, the Rhythmix have Tulisa to thank for putting more effort into them than she did for Nu Vibe. But this week's song choice was awful, as the girls flipped from singing 'Tik Tok' to then doing 'Push It' by Salt N Pepa. Medleys usually work on X-Factor, but today it really didn't and seemed all over the place. Weird 6/10
5: Sophie Habibis
It has been said before, but Sophie seems like the forgotten girl of the competition. Which may suit her, as it allows her to grow and develop in the competition without the added pressure. She puts in another solid performance this week, singing a great version of 'Living On a Prayer'. I predict that, in the same way Alexandra Burke came into her own as the show progressed, Sophie can still set this programme alight. Good 7/10
6: Craig
Apart from the stupid 'gun finger' hand-signs, Craig's performance last week was my favourite and it was good to see that the 'great British public' can see the talent that Craig has. He keeps up the good work this week, singing perhaps the most overused song in X-Factor history, 'Stop Crying Your Heat Out' by Oasis. Really good performance, despite what Tulisa says about him making it sound like a 'ballad'. 8/10
7: Kitty
Seeing as this week is 'Rock Week' and Kitty thinks she is a bit of a 'rocker', you would expect her to be keep us on the edge of our seats this week. Singing 'Live and Let Die', she hardly lights up the stage (apart from the fire all around her). Still, it is a good performance that is made even better by the fact that everyone else tonight have been pretty average. Even Gary liked it, which says a lot (i think). Again, she deserves to be safe for another week. 8/10
8: Frankie
I must say, I was very surprised that Frankie was in the bottom two last week. Although he can only sing one note (badly), mopes around the stage and thinks he has already won the competition, The Urbanite believed that the thousands of screaming girls on twitter would chip in and actually vote for him - but they didn't. Which means this week Frankie is singing for his career. And once again, he fails to really impress and I can't help but be disgusted by the way in which the X-Factor are marketing him. If he was a female contestant there would be an outcry and you can't help but think that the VT, his entrance and all the media stories are an attempt to mask the fact that Frankie is not a great singer - and the country knows it. Frankie is still in trouble this week, awful 5/10
9: The Risk
Now that Nu Vibe are out, The Risk can rest in the knowledge that they are the band to beat this year. Though to be honest, I think they were already confident of this. Singing 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley, which most definitely is not a rock song, the boys put in another great performance. Lead singer Charlie is obviously the best singer in the group, however part-time rapper Derry is also brilliant. I see big things for these guys. Good performance 8/10
10: Johnny
The less said about Johnny the better. I hate him. How he made it after last week's awful performance, I just do not know. But I am not sure how much more I can take of him. At least last year I was generally interested in seeing what Wagner would do every week. Whenever Johnny comes onto the screen I go to make a cup of tea, so I cannot even really say whether he was good or not. Apparently he sang 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love', though from the kitchen it sounded like a cat screaming for 2 and a half minutes. I caught Gary saying he liked it though, which means that the whole world is coming to an end. Awful 3/10
11: Misha B
Ending the show is Misha, who performs one of The Urbanite's favourite songs in 'Purple Rain'. It is, however, just a straight cover, which is a bit of a shame as I would have loved for her to have remixed the song and put her own spin on it. Still, it is another great performance from Misha. Slightly disturbed by Tulisa and Louis trying to de-rail her career by painting her as a bit of a bully, which is a major shame since she does not deserve that. She is the show's best contestant, and just because she is confident and assured in her talent she is apparently ungracious and a bully. Typical. Still, she should be safe for next week. If she isn't, and Tulisa's comments have had an influence on voting patterns, then I am quitting this blog! 8/10
And there you have it. To be honest, it was a pretty poor week with no one really standing out and impressing. The usual suspects (The Risk, Misha B, Craig) were impressive, but hopefully rock week is behind us and we can get back to hearing the contestants sing modern songs that we all know and love.
In terms of bottom two, this week is hard. But with Frankie putting in a horrible performance, and Sami boring our brains out, The Urbanite predicts it will be the two of them singing for the judges vote. Sami will go, undeservedly.
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