Review: JLS, City Hall, Newcastle

Feb 5 2010 by Morgan Sheridan, The Journal

THE latest boyband sensations to launch a career off the back of The X Factor rolled into town on Wednesday. And to give them their due, despite wanting to remove my own teeth during the support acts, JLS put on a good show.

Their vocals and harmonies were solid and in tune, and their stage show and choreography were simple but effective with creative use of staging and video backdrop.

However, let’s face it, when all JB, Oritsé, Marvin or Aston need to do is lift a shirt to turn the audience into a mass of wailing banshees, I don’t think artistic merit is a major concern.

They started with tracks from their new album to warm up.

When they broke out into four-part harmony on Make Sure the Lady is a Friend it harked back to Jodeci and Keith Sweat in the early days of the original New Jack Swing – hence Jack the Lad Swing (JLS).

They sang an uncut version of Never Come Close, with live guitar (sounds spookily like T-shirt On), followed by a medley of Michael Jackson classics: I Want You Back, Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough and The Way You Make Me Feel.

The umbrella choreography on Rhianna’s Umbrella was innovative and the neon masks routine added more visual interest to the end of the set when all songs started to sound the same.

My verdict? Not as bad as I thought it would be; a fun night out for the kids.