We’re a month into the live shows and it really feels like the competition is hotting up!  Here’s our recap of the live performances.

Mary – Could It Be Magic

Vocally delivered with added emotion. Kudos to Mary.

Aiden – Thriller

As if it wasn’t hinted enough in the VT, Aiden sang Thriller. I have just one question for Danni: What were you thinking?

Yes, it’s nice when people can ‘make the song their own’ (a now overused phrase in X-Factor world) but some songs should just be left alone. The words ‘rolling’ and ‘grave’ come to mind.

Belle Amie – Venus

Off-key in places. No bueno.

Rebecca – Wicked Game

Hauntingly poignant. A very believable and powerful performance.

TreyC – Relight My Fire

I’m gonna agree with Simon about TreyC being the neglected contestant. Just look at the whole video: TreyC says maybe she is not reaching the young audience because the song is too old. Cheryl picks  ‘Relight My Fire’ -  a song first released in 1979 before being covered by Take That and Lulu in 1993. Bear in mind this week tickets went on sale for the first complete reunion tour of Take That. Yes, that’s right – in the time this song was last released the band broke up, before getting back together as a 4 piece, and more recently as a complete 5 set band. In conclusion, this means the song is old and if there is concern about TreyC’s relevance, this has done nothing to resolve that. It was a good, if forgettable performance.

Matt – Bleeding Love

Taking a certain X-Factor alumni’s hit song was definitely a risky thing to do, and for Matt it wasn’t his best performance. It was good, but not the great Matt standards we’re used to seeing.

Wagner – O Fortuna/Bat Out Of Hell

The beginning sure was…a surprise. I hope they let him sing the intro to every episode now. The rest of it? Even more comedy.

Paije – Back to Black

The song suited him really well and he gave a strong performance.

Katie – Bewitched

An entertaining song. She would be good in musical theatre. Simon is wrong in saying she’s like Gwen Stefani though.

One Direction – Total Eclipse of The Heart

5 multiplied by (Edward Cullen x Justin Bieber) = One Direction. In other words: tween vote WIN! Simply genius!

Cher – Stay

Glad to see a stripped down performance Read: No Rapping from Cher with strongly conveyed emotion and beautiful vocals. She doesn’t always need all that ‘yeah, yooof, unique’ thing going on. This works just fine.

Ok, your turn. What did you like/dislike? The floor is yours!

For those of you who missed the results show or want to relive some of it, here’s our recap!

The show kicked off with a performance of Lady Gaga’s Telephone from the contestants:

Works muuuuch better than last week’s ‘everybody-singin’-altogether’ song.

Next former semi-finalist Diana Vickers took to the stage with her new single ‘My Wicked Heart’:

In parts, was reminded of this:

Katy Perry then performed shouted her new single ‘Fireworks’:

Elimination time, which meant goodbye to Storm and left Belle Amie and Diva Fever (both groups – either way Simon loses another act) fighting for survival, sing-off style.

Diva Fever sang ‘I Will Survive’ which is about as effective as performing ‘Please Don’t Save Our Act’ because any song about survival/overcoming/goodbyes when fighting for survival, overcoming odds or not leaving is usually met with the opposite result:

Belle Amie sang ‘Big Girl’s Don’t Cry.’ Mmm, it was ok.

In the end Louis, Danni and Cheryl sent home Diva Fever.

That’s it people. Were you happy with the result, or not? Did you enjoy any of the guest performances? The floor is yours

X-Factor Week 2. Theme: Heroes. The contestants sing music from their own musical heroes. What’s the opinion at Koko central? Read below…

Storm: Covering Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ it feels like he’s yelling (in a slightly off-key manner) more than singing.

Danni’s converted to liking his look, blaming last week’s negativity on the shock of it all. Really? Cheryl said she wants to see him sing and stand still to be judged on his vocals. Simon described him as a ‘singing fly’ and ‘all over the place.’ Um…Diva Fever anybody? That aside, while I’d agree that Storm is a bit gimmicky (the red hair is not helping with this), he actually does have reasonable vocal ability and stage presence. He appears to be one of those contestants that might be criticised whatever he does. If he manages to fly over the voter radar the next couple of weeks it would be great to see him transition into slightly-toned down performances and harnessing his vocal abilities.

TreyC: After Simon’s praise of her having the best performance of last week, TreyC was back this week with Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ which was somewhat reminiscent of Ruth Lorenzo’s version 2 years ago.

Received with rapturous applause, Louis thought it was better than last week. Danni ‘absolutely loved it.’ Simon said it was ‘incredible’ and called TreyC ‘one to watch.’ She gave a solid performance and sang her heart out.

Paije: Alicia Key’s ‘If I Ain’t Got You’

The vocals sounded half-hearted but became more passionate towards the end. Not a fan of the tempo, the song is waaay slower in real life – it almost feels a bit rushed with the speed and arrangement of the song. An okay performance. Cheryl and Simon agreed that he improved towards the end of the song., however, Louis and Danni liked the song altogether. Really, I think it was just okay. No undeserved hype please, judges!

One Direction: ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ by Kelly Clarkson.

Was I the only one that thought it was hilarious that they were reminiscing about ‘when they were kids’ like it was a generation ago or something in their VT? I definitely raised eyebrows at the supposed fact that Kelly Clarkson is One Direction’s hero (so did Louis) and the whole thing just didn’t work with the song. The chorus had tuning problems and the timing was slightly off in regards to who was singing what and point of entry into the song. It’s a shame because at Simon’s house they were much better than this. To make matters worse Simon called them ‘the most exciting pop band in the country today.’ He was being serious. Yes, you did just watch the same performance. (-___-)

Cher: It’s A Hard Knock Life

It’s true. It’s true. Did you ever think Jay-Z woud be covered on X-Factor? Certainly a first. Yes it’s ‘different’ but it also looks like she’s trying too hard. Part of the appeal with Cher’s first audition was that she made it look so effortless. This, however? Missed the mark. Last week’s performance was better. However, Simon disagreed saying he sees the future (no Hiro Nakamura) and exciting character of her music Sidebar:the fact that Louis keeps using the word ‘swagger’ (in any capacity) is disturbing.

John: ‘A Song For You’ by Donny Hathaway

A strong and emotional performance. Connecting with the words and message, John gave his song an added meaning and relevancy. The judges unanimously applauded his cover.

Diva Fever: ‘Barbara Streisand’ by Duck Sauce

There are some good acts with mediocre performances,mediocre acts with mediocre performances, and then there are those acts with the sole purpose of reminding you that in the end X-Factor really is only a game-show of sorts, never to be taken seriously. Diva Fever are one of those acts. That is all.

Rebecca Ferguson: ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone

Perfect voice for this richly soulful number. She did it justice.

Aiden: ‘Jealous Guy’ by John Lennon

Not Aiden’s strongest performance. A bit all over the place. Cheryl and Simon both said he lacked control with the song. However, if recent X-Factor history has taught us anything, he might still be fine!

Wagner ‘Just Help Yourself’ by Tom Jones

There’s something about this guy that screams ‘bit role in Judd Apatow movie’ that makes it hard to take him seriously. It’s like a joke that everyone else on the set is aware of except the star himself. From the song, to the backing dancers, and his suit with a chain replacing any shirt, it’s entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons.

Katie ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ by Etta James

Much better than last week’s performance.  You can tell she’s comfortable with Etta James’ music.

Belle Amie: ‘You Really Got Me’ by The Kinks

Vocals were altogether stronger than their other group counterparts.  An almost Girls Aloud-esque performance. Whether it’s likeable or not is really dependent on what you make of that sort of girl group.

Mary: ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’

Vocal powerhouse Mary delivered another amazing performance.  Emotion, vocal control and stage presence all conveyed to a high standard.

Matt: ‘Just The Way You Are’ by Bruno Mars

A flawless performance. He really knows how to hit those high notes and is a definite contender. Arguably the strongest vocalist in the competition.

Soo….now over to you! What did you make of tonight’s show? Speak your piece!