Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jacqui Newland Leaves X Factor

As I watched The X Factor tonight I was reminded of the benefit of the program’s judges having the final say. There are always those cases where some of the strongest performers find themselves in the bottom two, and it happened tonight when Young Men Society saw themselves standing alongside Jacqui Newland.

YMS didn’t have the strongest night last night, but I was sure their fan base was stronger than this. Let this be a reminder that if you love someone, you’ve got to vote for them.

To be fair, Jacqui Newland didn’t do terribly with No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” But Young Men Society showed they’re definitely in a class above with their take on Eric Clapton’s “Change The World.” It was understated, without the theatrics we’ve seen from them in the past, and that really allowed their vocals to shine.

It would have been easy for the judges to play strategically, but they did the right thing and sent Jacqui packing. I didn’t mind her, but to see the back of YMS at this point would have been a travesty.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Rocks

The X Factor contestants came out ready to rock at this week’s performance show.

Young Men Society kicked things off with their take on the Run DMC and Aerosmith classic “Walk This Way.” These guys have set such a high bar in previous weeks, so I felt a little let down by this. The vocals got patchy in places, which is something we haven’t seen from them before. But they always entertain, so I can forgive them a few pitch problems.

Christina Parie brought things back to the naughties with her take on “Gives You Hell.” She nailed the attitude and the vocals, but I was a bit torn on the song choice. Luke Jacobs raised my expectations when he announced the contestants would be singing “classic rock songs.” This is hardly a classic, and when you consider the history of rock music it’s a pretty dodgy choice. Perhaps such a contemporary song helped Christina relate to it, but I would have loved to see a song with a bit more cred.

Speaking of songs with cred, Andrew Wishart brought us the Cheap Trick hit “The Flame.” But this was about more than simply choosing a great song. For the first, and hopefully not the last, time in the competition I really felt it. It’s one thing for him to feel connected to a song, but it’s another very special thing for him to make us feel that connection. That was incredible.

And then we had Johnny Ruffo. In a way I felt a bit sorry for him taking the stage after Andrew. It only exposed just how lacking in emotional heart his version of “Here Without You” was. It was pitchy, but to me that lack of conviction was much more disappointing. I didn’t believe he was longing for anyone.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gotye Stays on Top of Singles Charts

Gotye has now achieved a massive eight consecutive weeks on top of the Aussie singles charts with his monster song “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The track, which features Kimbra on guest vocals, is now an impressive four times platinum. It’s also the only Aussie song to sit inside the top ten, or even the top twenty. I’m not sure what’s helped Gotye cut through in this chart which is generally dominated by international acts, but I’m impressed.

His album Making Mirrors has fallen a few spots to sit at number four, but with impressive debuts from Blink 192 and Tony Bennett, not to mention the staying power of the seemingly invincible Adele, this is still a fair effort. All that new chart action has also seen The Jezabels slip from number two to nine with their debut Prisoner.

Click below for all the action in this week’s ARIA top ten.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tyla Out After Most Drawn Out X Factor Elimination

Well the votes are in, and Australia ruled that Jacqui Newland and Tyla Bertolli didn’t party hard enough on this week’s X Factor performance show.

And that sentence above is as much as I wrote before getting the shits with Channel Seven and their drawn out coverage of The X Factor eliminations. By all means have your international guests, but when 8:30 rolls around and the bottom two contestants haven’t even sung off, let alone one eliminated, then there’s a problem.

I’m longing for the good old days of Australian Idol, when they managed to get those eliminations done in half an hour. An hour is really a stretch for these kinds of things, but more than an hour is ridiculous.

I’ve only got so many slots on my PVR, and there are Spicks and Specks and Glee both reliably starting on time. And so I decided I wasn’t going to sacrifice one of those because Seven couldn’t get his finger out. I planned to rise bright and early and just watch it on that Plus7 thing they’re always banging on about. Surprise surprise, there was no “sing for your life” performances on there. I’m not sure whether they were cut from the telecast or just the catch-up, but either way I have no clue what happened. With this week’s X Factor elimination being so drawn out I can’t say that I care. I was well and truly over it.

At the end of the day, Tyla was sent packing after only Ronan voted to keep her around. I can’t blame him; she’s quite the looker. I’d still err on that side as I remember the potential Jacqui showed us early on, but I’m really hoping she gets those nerves under control. She can’t keep singing this badly and hope to progress far.

Image source: Ernesto Ferreyra @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Parties On

Given my cold, I’m not planning on partying any time soon. Thank goodness for The X Factor who brought a party to my lounge room tonight. And I didn’t even need to change out of my pyjamas!

Audio Vixen kicked off proceedings with The Zutons’ “Valerie.” I liked it but I didn’t love it. The retro styling was great, and I was thrilled that the band upped the performance factor, but there wasn’t enough harmonising for my tastes. That’s where this band really excels; when those voices came together it was amazing, but I was left wanting more. Perhaps that’s a smart move though. Could it bring them back next week?

Declan Sykes upped the ante with Panic at the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” I am really enjoying Declan because he’s not predictable. I love his theatricality, and while the vocals weren’t always the strongest his unique delivery to me is much more interesting than hitting all the notes just right. Talk about making a song your own.

Mitchell Callaway was up next with Kid Rock’s ”All Summer Along.” I must admit, as a musical purist I’ve always hated this mash-up of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Werewolves of London,” but Mitchell didn’t go close to redeeming the song for me. He looked a bit scared up there, perhaps because of all those scantily clad ladies?
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gotye On Top Again

Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” is proving unstoppabable, taking out the number one possie on the ARIA charts for an incredible seventh consecutive week. It’d be getting boring if he wasn’t an Aussie with the support of the country behind him. His album Making Mirrors is also performing impressively, slipping down one to land at number three this week.

I’d bitch and moan about the slide if an Aussie band wasn’t behind it. The Jezabels have zoomed into the charts with a number two debut for their first album, Prisoner. Pete Murray is also hanging on to the top ten. His newie Blue Sky Blue has dropped from six to nine this week.

Click below to see what else has been happening in the ARIA top ten.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cleo Howman Out First on X Factor

Tonight’s first X Factor elimination saw Cleo Howman and Jacqui Newland battling it out, just as I predicted. To their credit the girls showed us just how different they are, with Cleo taking on Adele’s breakthrough hit “Chasing Pavements” and Jacqui returning to her rock roots with The Gossip’s “Heavy Cross.”

Both girls performed well, but for me Jacqui had the edge. There’s no one else quite like her in the competition right now, whereas while she’s got a beautiful voice I feel like I’ve seen musicians like Cleo before.

It seemed the judges agreed with me, because three to one they sent Ms Howman packing. Nat was always going to back her girl, but the remaining judges were all on Jacqui’s side. It’s sad in a way, because I don’t think she was the weakest performer last night or in the competition, but there’s always an element of popularity in these things.

Next week we get Party Songs, which I’m hoping sees a celebration of retro music rather than more of the naughties-centered music we saw this week!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Live Shows Kick Off

With this year’s X Factor live shows kicking off tonight I figured it time I started to blog about the reality singing quest. I’ve caught bits and pieces up until this point, but with the competition heating up I’m starting to get switched on to the action. Once the judges treated us to a medley of their own hits it was down to business.

Tonight’s theme was Judges Choice, which was a smart move in my books. Let’s face it, few of the acts really know anything about anything at this point, so it makes sense to have the more experienced judges pulling the strings for now.

Reece Mastin kicked things off with 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Closer to the Edge.” He was one of my early favourites, but I must admit I was a little disappointed by his performance. The opening verse was really shaky, and while the chorus started to soar I didn’t get the big stadium confidence from him that I think this song needs. I’m hopeful he can grow from here, as it must be tough to be the first performer out of the gates. The judges seemed to love it, so maybe it lost something in the translation to TV.

Ronan kicked off his groups with Three Wishez. Their take on Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” was a real performance, spectacular and well put together. The vocals were a bit shaky from Sophia in places, but I really appreciated the entertainment value. There’s definitely room for this band to grow into a very slick unit.

Andrew Wishart headed up Nat’s team with The Script’s “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” This performance gave me the connection I’ve been longing for all night. There’s something so authentic about this guy, so believable, and I love the little sweet spots in his voice. It wasn’t perfect, but I really liked what he did with this song.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gotye Still on Top of Singles Charts

Gotye has done it again, taking the top spot on the ARIA Singles Charts for an amazing sixth consecutive week with “Somebody That I Used To Know.” That makes it the longest reigning local chart topper since Savage Garden racked up eight weeks with “Truly Madly Deeply in 1997. It’s also deservedly earned triple platinum status.

His album Making Mirrors isn’t doing too badly either, holding steady at number two. Pete Murray’s Blue Sky Blue has also stayed the course and remained at number six for a second week. Sadly Icehouse’s greatest hits compilation White Heat: 30 Hits slipped down to number eight, but I predict it’ll jump back up once that Hall & Oates tour kicks off.

Click below for this week’s top 10s.

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gotye Makes It Five in a Row

Gotye’s made it five in a row after retaining the top spot on the ARIA Singles Charts again this week. In doing so “Somebody That I Used to Know” has enjoyed the longest stay at the top of any Aussie single since Gabrielle Cilmi clocked up five weeks with “Sweet About Me” in 2001. The last act to better the feat was Savage Garden who spent eight weeks on top in 1997 with “Truly Madly Deeply.” Can Gotye better the Brisbane duo?

The single’s success has also helped Gotye’s album Making Mirrors jump back to number two this week, up one spot from last week. He’s sharing time in the top 10 with fellow Aussies Pete Murray, who sits at number six with Blue Sky Blue, and Icehouse who’ve slipped only a couple of spots to number seven with White Heat: 30 Hits.

Click below for this week’s top 10s.

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