MIDDLESBROUGH-born pop sensation James Arthur was happy to be back on home territory, selling out the O2 Academy in Newcastle, a venue that holds a crowd of 2000 people!

It wasn’t long before the room was filled with fans who danced in anticipation to the backing music which only increased the anticipation for James to take the stage. It was not long however until smoke poured over the stage and the lights dimmed, allowing his five-piece band to take their places.

As the neon lights illuminated each member his voice broke through the silence with the opening lyrics of ‘The Truth’. From that moment onwards he had the crowd under a spell, jumping and dancing to his every command.

Once the song had ended he welcomed the crowd with open arms before shouting “Why Aye Man” sending the crowd into a frenzy of excitement.

James then took fans on a rollercoaster of emotions starting with his incredible cover of Shontelle’s ‘Impossible’, the very song which won him the X Factor back in 2012. He then went on to show off his rapping skills in ‘Prisoner’, keeping the crowd on their toes before mixing things up with some songs from his new album ‘Back From The Edge’.

The night however was also pinned with classic undertones of old hits with James revisiting his 2013 self-titled album to sing ‘Get Down’, ‘You’re Nobody til’ Somebody Loves You’ and ‘Is This Love?’, covering every inch of the stage with his energetic dancing.

Each song he sang was filled with love and passion and it was clear to see that the singer who rose to fame almost 7 years ago had no intention of slowing down.

The almost 2 hour show concluded with his multi-million number one single ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’, which saw James pour his heart into every lyric. However, it was hard to hear him over the crowd who showed their love for the artist by singing the words back to him.

Sarah Smith