Olly Murs made his name performing on The X Factor, and so it's not hard to imagine that lining the streets of Hammersmith on May 24th were a gaggle of young ladies queuing to see Mr. Snake Hips himself in his first UK tour. I first saw Olly sing live in a nightclub in January 2010, performing a handful of songs which he had sung on the show (he was yet to release any original material). The girls went wild for him back then, and so with three Top 20 singles and a debut album which peaked at Number 2 in the UK Charts in the following 18 months, I knew to expect no less than a few thousand girls screaming at Olly to wiggle his hips a bit and maybe sing a few songs.
Olly certainly knows how to keep his audience engaged; in the ninety minute set he mentioned the fact that he was single no fewer than three times. It is his ability to make them swoon which enables him to get away with less than perfect vocals (although he is still a very strong vocal performer, he is just not up to scratch with live artists such as Adam Levine, Danny O'Donoghue and James Morrison, all of whom appeal to similar audiences). Known for his big band numbers, Olly was accompanied by guitarists, keyboard players, drummers, saxophonists and back-up singers. His vocals may not be exceptional, but still the man has talent beyond looking good in tight trousers. His set list ranges from slow ballads ("Don't Say Goodbye") to cheery love songs ("Busy"), as well as doing justice to a lengthy but entertaining Stevie Wonder medley, kicking off with "Superstitious" and ending with "Isn't She Lovely?", during which he serenaded a young girl from the audience who gave him more than he bargained for with a cheeky grope to the backside. He may not be the most talented vocal artist around, but Olly knows how to sing, and puts on a show that not only entertains, but also delivers in terms of quality.
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