CAUGHT LIVE!: A WEDDING BLAND BAND
JOURNEY SOUTH
Siobhan Grogan At Hammersmith Apollo, London
WITH their blond good looks and an untold number of bland cover versions up their sleeves, Journey South were the surprise success story of last year's X Factor.
They didn't have winner Shane Ward's, well, X Factor, Chico's sheer exuberance or Andy Abraham's vocal abilities but somehow they still managed to come third overall.
Since then, the Middlesbrough brothers have signed a record deal, enjoyed a No1 album and are currently headlining their first solo UK tour.
It's impressive, yet nonetheless baffling.
While there was nothing much wrong with Journey South at this show - they were tediously professional and drearily competent - there wasn't very much to get excited about either.
There are acts like them playing in pubs and clubs across Britain, all of whom have similarly safe, crowd-pleasing set lists.
Backed by a four-piece band, denim-clad Andy and Carl Pemberton churned out the requisite U2, Beatles and Bon Jovi tracks, murdering hits by Ocean Colour Scene and Green Day along the way.
Thanks to Andy's overblown, dramatic vocals and insistence on bellowing everything at full volume, he stripped even the most tender songs of any emotion, overpowering guitarist Carl's superior and much more soulful voice.
The problem was even more pronounced on the odd original track played, crucial if Journey South are going to be real contenders, rather than a glorified wedding band.
Sadly for them, the original tracks just sounded a bit naff, particularly when played among all the classics.
With this year's X Factor "stars" already waiting in the wings, the time has come for Journey South to step graciously aside.
After all, there's a wedding somewhere that needs them.
Mirror
