Shayne Ward @ MEN *kinda spoilers*
IT’S only been a year since Shayne Ward captured the hearts of females everywhere winning TV talent show The X Factor. But a year can be a heck of a long time to ask for loyalty in the fickle world of pop. There’s a new X Factor winner now grabbing all the headlines – but Shayne needn’t worry about a certain Leona Lewis wrestling the attention of his besotted fans away from him. And though he’s been quiet on the UK scene for the past six months – while spreading the Ward word worldwide – it’s clearly done nothing to dim the passions of his devotees. Returning to Manchester for his homecoming solo gigs at the M.E.N. Arena on Friday night, he rises up out of the stage to a crescendo of ear-splitting screams, casual in designer denim and khaki safari jacket. And choosing to begin his night in the spotlight with single Stand By Me is particularly apt. Reaching the end of that first song the video cameras zoomed in on Shayne’s face – and it looked as though those puppy-dog eyes were welling up with tears as he looked out across the thousands of fans packed into his homecoming. The die-hard fans needed no persuasion to get into the mood from our Shayne - they swooned, swayed and swivelled with the shaven-headed 22-year-old throughout the night. He proved he can be a pretty nifty dancer – flexing through a high-tempo show with fancy footwork and grinding hips. It worked well on his own songs, like Next To Me, which was funked up and fresh with a band of street dancers accompanying Shayne in his Justin Timberlake-style moves. With only one album under his belt, the song count was boosted by cover versions – with some surprises along the way. Shayne clearly loves his falsetto, relishing it to belt out Dare by Gorillaz and then continuing it with his cover of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough and the Darkness’ I Believe In A Thing Called Love. He donned a purple velvet jacket and waistcoat for a Prince tribute section – although purists might suggest that Purple Rain is a classic best left untouched. For me, Shayne’s vocals truly soar in a more soulful pitch on the songs he has made his own - hit singles No Promises and That’s My Goal sound fantastic in the Arena setting. A James Bond section in the show is a real highlight, with Shayne swooping onto the stage from high wires above in true spy-style before breezing through movie classics Live and Let Die and View To A Kill in which he does a sultry bit of rumba with one of the foxily-dressed dancers, while girlfriend Faye McKeever – in the front row with Shayne’s brothers and sisters – looked on. It was an entertaining hour and 15 minutes, but now the real challenge for Shayne begins, with his second album underway. He’s undoubtedly got the voice, the look and the devoted fanbase of a pop star – now he needs his own sound to last the distance.
IT’S only been a year since Shayne Ward captured the hearts of females everywhere winning TV talent show The X Factor. But a year can be a heck of a long time to ask for loyalty in the fickle world of pop. There’s a new X Factor winner now grabbing all the headlines – but Shayne needn’t worry about a certain Leona Lewis wrestling the attention of his besotted fans away from him. And though he’s been quiet on the UK scene for the past six months – while spreading the Ward word worldwide – it’s clearly done nothing to dim the passions of his devotees. Returning to Manchester for his homecoming solo gigs at the M.E.N. Arena on Friday night, he rises up out of the stage to a crescendo of ear-splitting screams, casual in designer denim and khaki safari jacket. And choosing to begin his night in the spotlight with single Stand By Me is particularly apt. Reaching the end of that first song the video cameras zoomed in on Shayne’s face – and it looked as though those puppy-dog eyes were welling up with tears as he looked out across the thousands of fans packed into his homecoming. The die-hard fans needed no persuasion to get into the mood from our Shayne - they swooned, swayed and swivelled with the shaven-headed 22-year-old throughout the night. He proved he can be a pretty nifty dancer – flexing through a high-tempo show with fancy footwork and grinding hips. It worked well on his own songs, like Next To Me, which was funked up and fresh with a band of street dancers accompanying Shayne in his Justin Timberlake-style moves. With only one album under his belt, the song count was boosted by cover versions – with some surprises along the way. Shayne clearly loves his falsetto, relishing it to belt out Dare by Gorillaz and then continuing it with his cover of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough and the Darkness’ I Believe In A Thing Called Love. He donned a purple velvet jacket and waistcoat for a Prince tribute section – although purists might suggest that Purple Rain is a classic best left untouched. For me, Shayne’s vocals truly soar in a more soulful pitch on the songs he has made his own - hit singles No Promises and That’s My Goal sound fantastic in the Arena setting. A James Bond section in the show is a real highlight, with Shayne swooping onto the stage from high wires above in true spy-style before breezing through movie classics Live and Let Die and View To A Kill in which he does a sultry bit of rumba with one of the foxily-dressed dancers, while girlfriend Faye McKeever – in the front row with Shayne’s brothers and sisters – looked on. It was an entertaining hour and 15 minutes, but now the real challenge for Shayne begins, with his second album underway. He’s undoubtedly got the voice, the look and the devoted fanbase of a pop star – now he needs his own sound to last the distance.