WORDS MEGAN JONES / IMAGES BILLY SEAGRAVE
JLS, multi-award winning four piece have a long list of musical accomplishments. Since finishing second on The X Factor in 2008, the band have sold over six million records and released four multi-platinum albums.
The AO Arena Manchester welcomed JLS’s ‘The Hits Tour’ last week. JLS returned to Manchester after a successful comeback tour in 2021, giving fans exactly what they wanted with a night filled with smash hits, eye-catching visuals, and smooth dance moves.
Thousands of ticket holders flocked to the venue, with the most ardent fans decked out in their best JLS gear and carrying signs aimed at attracting the boys’ attention.
The warm-up performer required no introduction. Tinchy Stryder rose to prominence in the UK grime scene after appearing on Wiley‘s 2003 EP Ice Rink. Since then, the artist has collaborated with artists such as N-Dubz and Taio Cruz, and his single ‘Number One’ climbed the UK charts back in 2009. He did not disappoint, warming up the crowd by playing big hits such as “Spaceship” and “You’re Not Alone”.
Then it was go time for JLS. Fans erupted as the lights dimmed, before the stage was flooded with a spectacular light show and a faint instrumental began. When the four band members appeared on stage as silhouettes and the intro to “Eyes Wide Shut” began, the crowd began to sing along and the trip down memory lane began.
The elaborate staging was comparable of their X-Factor days, finished with a smoke machine and band visuals on the screen above. Of course, each song had a meticulously memorised dance routine, including Merrygold’s signature standing backflip.
Much has changed since their days on The X Factor, but JLS are still proud of their heartthrob status. Their once-young fans have matured, but the singers continue to captivate them, as evidenced by the band serenading two female fans onstage during “I Know What She Likes”. The band enjoyed every bit of attention that came their way.
The night concluded with the encore song “Everybody in Love”. Whether they like it or not, everyone knows the words to this song, making it an ideal complement to an iconic setlist. Fans were left with a striking final image of the band, each holding one arm in the air, with confetti canons raining down on the first few rows of the audience, an honourable throwback to their days on X-Factor.
SET LIST
1/ EYES WIDE SHUT
2/ HOTTEST GIRL IN THE WORLD
3/ DAY ONE / FINESSE
4/ DO YOU FEEL WHAT I FEEL
5/ ETERNAL LOVE
6/ ONE SHOT
7/ SO MANY GIRLS
8/ ONLY MAKING LOVE
9/ I KNOW WHAT SHE LIKES
10/ CLOSE TO YOU
11/ ONLY TONIGHT
12/ BETTER FOR YOU
13/ PROUD
14/ THE CLUB IS ALIVE
15/ DJ MEGA SET
16/ SAX
17/ GLAD YOU CAME
18/ SHE MAKES ME WANNA
19/ BEAT AGAIN
ENCORE
20/ LOVE YOU MORE
21/ EVERYBODY IN LOVE
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