This year’s X Factor auditions haven’t seen much in the way of groups, but that all changed on Saturday night.
Two groups formed from the London Community Gospel Choir went up against each other - and one did much better than the other.
All-male group BEKLN (Baison, Emmanuel, Kademm, Lawrence and Nathan) performed James Bay’s Hold Back The River and the judges loved them.
“You can never go wrong with a little bit of soul, my friends,” said Rita Ora. “I think you were awesome.”
But all-female group Silver Tone (with BEKLN Nathan’s sister, Rachel) went very wrong…at first.
The judges didn’t like their performance of Clean Bandit’s Rather Be, but were prepared to give the girls a second chance.
“Come back and show us what five gospel singers can do with a song,” Simon Cowell told them.
So they did.
And after singing a medley of Mary Mary’s Can’t Give Up Now and Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Ove Troubled Water, Simon told said: “One minute it’s just five girls who want to be a girl band. Then the real you emerges, with your love of singing.”
“The difference was unbelievable,” added Nick Grimshaw.
It was also a night of second chances for Jade McGuire, Monica Michael and girl group Rumour Has It.
Jade was in a group called Pop! 10 years ago but is now a full-time mother.
“I fee like this is my last shot,” she said “I want the judges to think my voice is still good.”
And they did think it was good enough to get her to Boot Camp.
Monica lost out in last year's Six-Chair Challenge and was sent home by Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
“You are my biggest regret of my category last year,” Cheryl told Monica, after she performed Christina Aguilera’s Impossible.
Rumour Has It is the three-girl group left over from the five-piece band put together from soloists in last year’s X Factor.
“I think you’ve improved immensely,” Cheryl told them.
None of the judges knew what to say to Italian singing teacher Papasidero, who came out on stage with white wings strapped to his back.
“Some people think I’m an angels, some people think I’m a bird,” he told the judges.
Papasidero was a finalist on X Factor Italy in 2011 and made it through to Boot Camp singing Aretha Franklin’s Respect.
“I love crazy and you’re crazy,” Simon told him.
It was 17-year-old Charli Beard’s X Factor debut but if she was nervous it didn’t show.
“You sang the soul out of that song,” Cheryl told Charli, after she’d performed Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come.
“I think you’re oblivious to how good you sound,” added Rita. “As singers, our job is really just to get the message across in a beautiful way and you did just that.”
For all the acts that made it to Boot Camp from Saturday’s auditions, click here.
The X Factor continues on ITV, Sunday, September 13, 8.00pm.
