• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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Louisa Johnson leads X Factor stars to Bents Park

X FACTOR favourites Louisa Johnson, Jedward and current champion Matt Terry will lead a star-studded line up into South Shields this Sunday (23 July).

The stars of the hit TV show will be joined by 5 After Midnight who finished third in last year’s show, along with Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Jamie Lee Harrison and up and coming boyband Taken.

Headlining on the day will be 2015 winner Louisa, who became the youngest ever winner of the show when she was just 17.

Currently in high demand thanks to the success of her debut solo single Best Behaviour and her recent collaboration with Olly Murs on the duet Unpredictable, Louisa enjoyed her first big hit last year when she appeared on Clean Bandit’s track Tears.

She will be joined on the day by 2016 winner Matt Terry, who rose to fame late last year after auditioning for the show with his version of Ben E King’s Stand by Me, earning him four yeses from the judges.

Mentored by Nicole Scherzinger, he made it through judges’ houses all the way through the live finals, to finally emerge victorious after beating Saara Alto in the final.

Jedward – aka John and Edward Grimes – emerged as the unlikely stars of the show back in 2009, finishing sixth before going on to become household names.

The identical twin brothers reached number two in the UK Singles chart with their debut release Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) and can boast three number one singles and three number one albums in their native Ireland.

Boyband 5 After Midnight burst onto the scene last autumn when they appeared on the latest series of the hit TV show.  The trio – Kieran Alleyne, Nathan Lewis and Jordan Lee – finished third overall but were quickly snapped up by Simon Cowell who signed them to his Syco record label earlier this year.

The X Factor stars will be joined on the day by late additions to the programme Jamie Lee Harrison, the Newcastle born and bred singer who made it to the semi-finals of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent and Irish trio Taken, who are currently supporting The Vamps on their UK tour.

Local interest will come from youngsters from the South Tyneside Samba Drum Club, which meets during school term time and is open to children from across the town.

The initiative teaches young people percussion skills using instruments like the djembe and samba as well as the traditional drum kit, and gives them the opportunity to perform in public at events like the Summer Concert series.

Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, with responsibility for Culture and Leisure said: “The line up for this show has grown and grown since we first announced it, and the interest has been incredible.

“With so many big names appearing on one stage in one afternoon, we are bracing ourselves for a very busy event and once again would urge anyone who is coming on the day to arrive early so as not to miss out.”

The Sunday Concert series is sponsored by Port of Tyne, Colmans Seafood Temple, Town Centre Automobiles and Little Haven Hotel, and regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors from across the region and further afield.

As always, entry on the day is free but is strictly on a first come first served basis. The gates will open at approximately 12.30pm. For more information visit the website: www.southtynesidefestival.co.uk

By Emily