When we heard tonight was going to be ‘big band’ themed, we had severe misgivings. A whole evening of the toe curling music that reminds us all of Ray Quinn from last year? No thanks.

But tonight’s show was simply awesome - some acts took contemporary tunes and give them a big band sound. Others sang classic show tunes. Niki didn’t mention deceased relatives once. Overall, an impressive show. Here’s our round-up:

Leon Jackson

Singing Fly Me To The Moon, Leon came through with a much more confident performance than previous weeks. Brilliantly, Simon instantly claimed credit for giving him a kick in the ass. Lisa said “He’s no Ray Quinn”, and I’m pretty sure she was joking. [Forum Discussion]

Futureproof

The resident boy band get their opportunity to be Westlife by singing Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. A bit of a shaky start was rectified when the rest of the band came in with some sweet harmonies. Despite Cowell’s assertion that they’d need to move around on stage, they didn’t do much at all. The crowd went absolutely wild though, so Futureproof look safe for this week. [Forum Discussion]

Niki Evans

Bad choice tonight to do Chicago’s signature tune, All That Jazz. Having seen it done soooo much better, Niki’s performance came across as a bit wooden and the vocals were adequate, but they didn’t shine. She wasn’t in the least bit sultry or seductive, and that bit where the trombone player went between her legs was hilarious - I kept making fart noises… Oh yes, Cowell agrees with me. [Forum Discussion]

Rhidian Roberts

Oh. My. God. This guy is extraordinary. Before we start on the performance - since when was Pink’s Get This Party Started a big band song? It sounded more like a Bond theme  by the time they’d finished with it. The performance by Rhidian was disturbing, funny and brilliant at the same time. His sequined suit actually blended in with the scenery at times. Hilarious. [Forum Discussion]

Same Difference

Pulling off a swing version of S Club 7’s Reach, I’m really starting to like these two. Their performances are just good fun, and they’re obviously really enjoying themselves on stage. There was a bit of a disaster with the harmonies at the start (to my ear), but they pulled it back and ended brilliantly. [Forum Discussion]

Alisha Bennett

Tackling Valerie by The Zutons as reinterpreted by Amy Winehouse, Alisha put in a decent appearance vocally, but her stage presence was lacking, and she still came across as a bit wooden. The judges described it as her best performance so far. Oh yeah, she’s Sharon Osbourne’s only act left. [Forum Discussion]

Hope

They’ve got the looks. Damnit, they can even perform. The problem is, none of their voices really did it for me, even though Hanky Panky isn’t a very vocally challenging song. Dannii Minogue just backed that up, by the way. Their little ‘dance’ for Simon was completely missed as the camera crew somehow thought it’d be better to focus on the band during it. Oops! [Forum Discussion]

Andy Williams

Those big puppydog eyes don’t cut it with me son, your singing may be alright, but I’ve seen more animated corpses. Before the song, Simon claimed that Dannii was doing nothing to help Andy win, merely keeping him in the competition. Simon slated him completely, and rightly so - based on current performances, Andy isn’t showing the talent to win X Factor. [Forum Discussion]

Beverley Trotman

Beverley took on Feeling Good, a classic old tune. She was confident, owned the stage and sung with power and conviction. Awesome. Put Niki’s performance to shame. As the judges said, Beverley had the best performance of the evening. [Forum Discussion]