And listen to his versions of Power of Love, Hometown Glory, Sweet Dreams and No More Drama. All 4 absolutely brilliant.

Who knows, Christopher Maloney may be checking my tickets at the door

Christopher will be selling out stadia worldwide, while James Arthur goes back to his local to do 'credible' covers of Abba and the Spice Girls.

I'd love to see him live, but I wouldn't go purely because it'd be full of annoying screaming girls. I'd definitely buy his records though

You are both equally delusional

I didn't realise karaoke singers did worldwide tours

You have a fruitful imagination OP, unless you think his "concert" will be him busking in covent garden.

I imagine tickets will be very cheap and easy to get!

I'd definitely go to a James gig, although I don't know how I could deal with the screaming girls. Possibly with a tazer.

Pity I didn't hear about him before X Factor, he only lives 10 minutes away from here.

I doubt it. The pubs around here put acts like James Arthur on free on various nights of the week. No tickets necessary. In fact, I have seen better acts than James Arthur in pubs, acts of similar age and look but with better voices and multi-instrumentalists too: folk, jazz, bluegrass, pop, you name it. I have never though, in a pub, heard a singer sing as well as Chris Maloney, though I've heard a few good singers. And that is my point. I don't think Chris is great by any means but he is a talented singer. James Arthur is ordinary in all respects and when all facets are rolled into one, as a package, he's a generic. It has all been done-to-death and done far better.

Couldn't bare to sit through one of his concerts.

You wouldn't have done. He was created for X Factor. He hadn't been beyond his bedroom door before auditioning. Another phoney act. The thing is, if they wanted an act of that kind, how couldn't they have found one who could sing and didn't look and sound like shit? Remember James Michael last year? The lad with the guitar who looked fantastic (handsome, well dressed, a marketer's dream etc) and had a very nice voice? They got rid of him. And then they pimp up James Arthur!!! No wonder the show is f**ked!

So when did he do all this?

Mostly last week but some was done in his sister's bedroom (she has three sets of double sockets and a radiator that works apparently) in April.

The funny thing is he is being marketed by the "judges" as a fantastic singer / songwriter and yet nobody has a clue what an album of his would sound like as they (rather curiously) won't let him perform his own songs on the show, even though it's fully allowed under the new rules.

I find it odd too, I've heard his own stuff and it is good. Don't know why it was okay for Lucy and Ella but not James.

I think you mean 'bear'. 'Bare' and James Arthur should never be mentioned in the same breath. Shudders......

James Michael was an absolute stunner, I wish he'd had a bit more of a chance on XF.

I really liked James Michael he was my favourite last year. Lovely voice and very pretty

Absolute nonsense post. James has been gigging here up in the north east for quite some time.

Such bullS55t. He formed his band early in the year and have been building a strong local following well before X Factor auditions