BRMB Live 2011, LG Arena, Birmingham

BRMB Live is a little like an ‘end-of-the-night cocktail’ at a party – everything thrown in but it goes down very well.

The mini-festival saw the hugely talented James Morrison and Pixie Lott sharing the LG Arena stage with names such as The X Factor’s Cher Lloyd. A whole host of chart stars took to the stage on Saturday reaching a climax with a performance by boy band JLS.

There was a little something for everyone – including the many parents. And, with each act only performing for 20-25 minutes, if one singer wasn’t your cup of tea (Yes, you Tinchy Stryder) then it wasn’t long before someone else was on stage.

Pixie Lott began the evening with an acoustic set including a couple of her hits, such as the well received Cry Me Out, and an interesting take on Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy and Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely.

Pixie certainly set a high bar for the evening but she was followed by new girl Emeli Sande (corr) who this year saw her debut single Heaven get to number 2 in the charts. It was a simple, understated performance but the R&B singer blew the crowd away with her amazing voice and is sure to be an even bigger success next year.

Next on was Tinchy Stryder who may also have been a little shy given that he donned a hood covering most of his face underneath which was a pair of sunglasses. Still, he quickly had the crowd jump, jump, jumping away.

X Factor Matt Cardle followed and was the first to bring a band onto the stage as he set out to prove his musical credibility. He has dropped the suited and booted clean-cut look adopted at the end of X Factor and returned to his unshaven look and cap s he set out to promote his new album. A fantastic voice and chart-friendly songs, the crowd loved him.

But not as much as they loved, next up, Cher Lloyd. The crowd, largely teenage girls, screamed “We love you Cher” as she too promoted her album with her single Swagger Jagger whipping up a storm. This is a young girl with attitude offering some catchy tunes – guaranteed to be a hit with such an audience and sure to make Mr Cowell a fortune.

She was followed, however, by the incredibly talented James Morrison. His smooth, creamy vocals were breathtaking and he was a highlight of the evening for me.

The screams reached fever pitch next as boy band The Wanted took to the stage. They were probably very good but the sound was distorted by the relentless ear-splitting squeals. Unfortunately for this new boyband, they were followed by the headliners and true professionals JLS. From the moment they exploded onto stage JLS put The Wanted in the shade. They knew exactly what the crowd wanted launching into hits Everybody In Love and Eyes Wide Shut.

Their voices, harmonies and dance moves were faultless which saw the night finish on a high and sent everyone home singing.

Nobody left without having enjoyed some, if not all, of the acts. My daughter was excited just to see TV’s Sam and Mark as comperes! True value for money and a cocktail well worth looking out for next year.

Review by Diane Davies.