Sounds promising. Fingers crossed for him.

Aw, I have no idea what I've done to deserve that accolade. Don't I just bang on about Nicholas?




Yeah I'm not convinced either. I suppose I'm just looking for an explanation other than just that they don't like him and it was maliciously motivated.




I didn't notice that at all. I think I'm going to have to download the entire series and rewatch. I only really started paying attention to the subtext stuff when the blatant undermining began as I wanted to know why. I suppose I'm guilty of not so much caring about the manipulation if it's an act I don't care for.



Thing is there's a sizeable minority on here who are convinced she is the best thing since sliced bread. I suspect that shows the power of looking the part, if not quite convincing in any other aspect. I think they massively overate her, but I'm sure she'd sell records even if her input is nothing other than as a visual brand.

I didn't know about the chance aspect of her audition. I assumed they'd had their eye on her before, but I guess maybe that was the real moment they first became aware of her. They certainly did run with it after that point though. And actually, the only real pleasure I've gained from this series awful manipulation is seeing them fail to get her to overachieve. I like to imagine them tearing their hair out and having minor nervous breakdowns while the public fail to take to her and she simultaneously blows her hand-on-a-plate chances



You scots are so disloyal. Where's your national pride?


I can see why Luke would be signed, the pushing of him down the Mumford's pastiche route illustrates how they see him (and after all, even Gary bloody Barlow is pastiching the Mumfords at the moment) but I would hate it to be at the expense of Nicky. I think Luke would be better off plowing an independent path and developing his own songwriting without the Syco machine. A big machine behind him would be more beneficial for Nicky as he's much more of a pure singer and, as far as we know, he doesn't write. Luke has a danger of losing what authenticity he has left. Of course, if he wants to become the slightly 'edgier' offshoot of the 1D brand, fair play to him, but I think it would be a myopic decision for him.

Tamera doesn't necessarily need to learn any additional skills. She'll get by on her looks and her videos, which, I suspect she's already become used to. I can't really see her lasting though.


Me neither. And the further away we get from the competition the more it actually bothers me that I can't resolve it in my own head. Commentators on sofabet seem to lump Nicholas in with Joe and Leon and brand him as 'uncommercial' - maybe I'm biased but I don't see that at all. Plus I still think he'd sell more records than Sam. I think I'm leaning towards it ultimately more being about the show's meta-narrative (working mum gets second chance = aspirational revitalisation for the brand, with added bonus of satiating the Maloney movement from last year). Whatever it was I hope the experience hasn't harmed Nicky's future or, indeed, just his faith in people. But Christ, I still want to know WHY. I'd love to know what Nicky's take on the whole thing was but, of course, he has to play ball else they really could destroy him. He's already been getting grief in the papers It's clear he was aware of something, his nervousness in the last couple of weeks pre-final indicate that imo.

Oh I hope it's properly exciting news. I'd love for this all to work out for him.

Incidentally sycamore, which Scottish labels were you thinking of? I only really know about Soma (and possibly Glasgow Underground) but those are both deep house/techno labels from the 90s - showing my age there!

I agree a 'proper' deal would be better - he needs proper investment and development and good appropriate songs- not an Eoghan style 'will this do' album that exists only to make a quick buck off the back of the show - that would do more damage than good.

Merry Xmas team nicky

Merry Christmas to you Hope u have a good one

Merry Christmas! Let's hope Nicky gets signed!

Merry Christmas to you. Yeah really hope he does I will be gutted if he doesn't.

Hope that's his exciting news he put it on his Facebook aswell as his twitter

I hope so. It might just be gigs or something, but it would be awesome if it's a contract. He deserves it.

Haha. I just had a look on twitter to see if he'd tweeted anything more about this news. There's loads of girls tweeting that they've seen him In Glasgow and now that he's in Pizza hut. Then there's the girls saying they're crying because they're not there. Now he's apparently in Pizza Hut. I hope he enjoys the attention, it must get get a bit intrusive after the novelty has worn off, especially with the live location updates that twitter enables!

I seen that aswell, also seen folk sayin that they feel sorry for his mates that they r having to stop every 2 secs for nicky to take pics with his fans lol

Well his mates seem to be getting a fair bit of attention too via association so I imagine they're not complaining too much!

Haha. Someone on twitter said he's being followed around by about 200 teenage girls!

Also the gig on Sunday has been moved from Campus to a bigger capacity venue!

Thats good news

Merry Christmas fellow Nicksters

That's good news about the change of venue. The Garage is huge in comparison to Campus.

Honestly, if they don't sign him they're f***ing idiots!

A bloke just tweeted complaining he was in Pizza Hut in Glasgow at same time as Nicky and there were about 100 teenage girls staring in at them eating

Haha. God that must be so weird. Teenage girls are a nightmare when they get an obsession (no offence to the females present!)

None taken I know what u mean though especially when they are teenage girls

We'll I'm no teenage girl but I guess I'm
Just a wee bit obsessed too

Just rechecked twitter. God it's fast moving with all things Nicky!

Contrary to the doubters who said it was just the so called Scottish Vote that got him through, he's got girls (and boys!) from all over the world tweeting their devotion

Not just from the UK then

Yeah I've seen a few from overseas. Good to see his reach is extending

He did a follow spree earlier and #teamnicky has been trending for the last couple of hours too.

I've written a novel, I'm sorry.


Not always, and even when you do it's with style Nah, I just enjoy reading your posts, intelligent and insightful and always worthwhile. Sorry, I know I can be gushy It's still true though


That particular incident is sooooo worth seeing again, there was definitely something going on there, I just don't know what and I don't know if anyone does. It's also well worth rewatching the pre-live stuff, I watched a few bits in such a different light after the last couple of lives. Nick's first audition was shown well, despite/enhanced by Gary's concern, he was constantly pimp slot in the boot camp/judges houses, so why on earth did he get such bad treatment in the live shows?? I don't understand! Worth comparing with luke's treatment also...


I honestly think her first audition was the first moment they saw her, and they just were blown away by her; I think if she'd been on their radar before they'd have had a more effective approach to presenting her. And I hate to admit being so schadenfraudish, but I totally agree with you, I have nothing against the girl herself but seeing all the well laid plans going so disasterously awry was pretty damn entertaining. One of their big problems was constantly giving her ballads, even in weeks like disco week (which was her first really awful week in the voting). I think they did that because she was so uncomfortable with doing *anything*. She looked desperately uncomfortable trying to move for 'we found love' or anything else uptempo, and everything else was either a ballad that she did a sub-tales of the unexpected finger waggling around her face for, or the 'bend double at the middle and pretend it's emotion' wannabe diva fold. It doesn't matter how stunning she is, what an amazing figure she has, if she's visibly criging every time the camera's on her and clearly massively uncomfortable at dancing for creepy strangers. They also threw away the likeability she did have when they were throwing away the 'kiss my shoes' nasty girl, and they ended up with a hollow nothing that no one engaged with and no one cared a toss about. The demolision she got from Louis, especially, and the others in her last couple of weeks was pretty horrific, they washed their hands of her which is why I think the deadlock thing suited them so well, the ultimate underlining of her failure.


Hanging out with Louis's lack shame in hell's antechamber


Yeah, the Mumford crap is - well, crap. I really really hate Mumford and spawn, and their spawn, and what they spawned... etc. His 'favourite band' before xfactor was Pearl Jam, I wonder what changed *rolleyes smilie* What happens for Luke now is down to luke, once the xfactor tour is done and the contracts are finished: either he ditches the excessive styling, pushes his own pre-xfactor identity, comes out (if applicable), showcases his talent with cracking original material and skilled performances; or wastes everything on what's fleetingly appealing to hormonal teenage girls, and spends HIS ENTIRE ADULT LIFE as a joke question on whatever 8 out of 10 cats/never mind the buzzcocks is in 40 years time.

The relevant point re Nicholas is that Luke is a musician and a writer, and therefore has a potential advantage Nicholas doesn't have, and it's up to him whether he takes it or not. And Luke came into the show with all that identity and potential, and charm and charisma by the bucketload, and got twisted into a nearly as bad as Gary Barlow Mumford tribute act. Who else stands a chance?

Nicholas doesn't have that massive advantage: he's a wee boy with an amazing voice that likes to sing. I know Sean has pointed out in this thread & elsewhere that Nick loves indie music, but that wasn't remotely evident during his time on the xfactor. Like sambailey and like pretty much everyone else that comes off that show, he's come out with pretty much no one having a clue what music he actually likes and wants to do.



I wasn't thinking of any specifically, because all I particularly know is glasgow rock/indie/alt, but in a way it doesn't matter because of how much the music industry has changed, and because scottish music is so strong at the moment. A decade ago there were certain bands that would have charted very well but they were signed to labels that were so small that they couldn't raise the credit or capital to print enough copies of a single to make it physically possible for them to get into the charts; it was literally physically impossible for them to chart #nohyperbole Obviously the switch to digital has transformed that and it means that canny small labels can really go somewhere, and I know you already know this! I can see Nick doing something like that, building capital - both in terms of listeners and fans and literally, for an album pressing - through astute digital single releases, and I do think there's a real market for him. His biggest problem is what the xfactor did to him: people that thought he had a lovely voice when they dipped into the auditions got bored, and blamed him for the bad songs and bad arrangements (dreadful arrangements got mentioned quite a lot more than I expected when I tried to discuss him with friends that know their music). But he has some positive feeling that he should be working on building, asap. So I guess this is your scottish vote, doesn't actually vote but is interested and will support him if he deserves it, earned through song choices/arrangements and clever placement.

Conspiracy theory (that I don't think I believe in): If I were wanting to launch a new scottish act, what better time than during the build up to the referendum? So much of the middle class cultural cringe about being scottish seems to have vanished with the vote coming, suddenly being scottish is something to be proud of, we're seeking out scottish things and embracing them, laughing fondly at jokes like sheep-shaped shortbread where before we'd have been mortified. Even though I personally only know two people who'll vote against independence, I don't believe it will happen, but the possibiity of it has transformed our cultural landscape, it's a commonplace assumption even though it's not going to happen.

And what a great way to promote him: have him perform in a nationally broadcast talent show, with millions of people watching him and voting for him - because he genuinely is a beautiful singer. How effective would it be to have him blatently shafted by an ENGLISH tv show, it just reinforces what we all know about the prisoner/gaoler relationship we all know exists between scotland and england...

Nah, I don't believe it, but...

Um, and like I said at the start, sorry about the novel

And PS - Happy Christmas!

*tips hat*

Well thank you very much. I didn't realise I posted enough on here to be particularly noticed, but I suppose I've been slightly more obsessed about XF this year due to Nicholas and wanting him to do well.


Yep, I am finding the desire to watch all the relevant bits again. It's annoying they don't post judges comments etc on youtube - I'm particularly interested in watching Gary's change from being generally supportive (if not effusive) to calling Nicholas 'middle-of-the-road' (the lols, the LOLS, coming from GB!), to being pretty much spitefully refusing to give Nicholas his dues in the final.


I do find the Tamera stuff amusing. There's a particularly vocal Tamera fan on here who was always accusing Nick of all the things Tamera was also guilty of - the looking uncomfortable during uptempo numbers (she looked far more uncomfortable in both the first week and the Rihanna tribute than Nick did even in disco week imo). Add to that the rather questionable and desperate attempt to sexualise her later in the competition (she might as well have sung The First Time Ever I Saw Your Penis the way she was dancing her fingers up and down that microphone) and it's clear they tried just about everything they could think of to bolster her vote until they just though 'F*** it'.

It will be interesting to see how she does post-show. I've seen nothing to suggest she will go away and 'do a Solange' and come back with something unexpected and interesting, she just doesn't seem to have the work-ethic, the creativity, or even the vaguest interest in music to do so). I suspect she will be snapped up to essentially front a producer's project though, maybe have a couple of mid-charting singles and an underwhelming album, then fade from view. Essentially, a Misha B trajectory, but taking into account Misha B had much more of an identity and is clearly far more creative.


Oh, how I've really come to hate that man now.


Yeah, I take that all on board, and that's why I worry about where Nicholas goes from here - how it turns out is so dependent on other people, not just their own talent in their own roles, but how much effort they put in, and whether they get what makes him special - i.e. a quick-buck Eoghan type album would just be disastrous (obvious statement is obvious).

I can't say I often wish I was a music industry mogul with stellar connections, but this is one of those rare times.


Yeah, a well-chosen single or EP here and there, without rushing towards an album (maybe looking at an album in a year or so) would be the way to go I'd suggest. Keep him in the public consciousness without rush-releasing an ill-considered cash-in. I do fear they'd go the full-on teeny-bopper route, without giving his voice the prominence it deserves. That balance will certainly be a tricky one to get right, I'd imagine.

The arrangements is an interesting thing to consider. I didn't think they were that bad at all early on, but certainly Just The Way You Are was a terribly stodgy arrangement of what was originally quite a playful song (and I say that as someone who can;t stand Bruno Mars). Certainly they were generally pedestrian, with not much attempt to 'switch them up'. Then later on they became much more 'filled' within the frequency spectrum. People on Sofabet and here tend to consider massive choirs a pimping, but I actually think for an act like Nicholas they're the opposite - they fill up the mid-range frequencies a vocalist inhabits and give it much less space - it works for a weak singer/singers (i.e. Rough Copy/1D where the backing vocals would basically carry the song, but a vocalist like Nicholas with subtlety and expression in his voice needs room to breathe in)


Hmm. You know that's really interesting actually. I'm half-scot, though essentially English in that I grew up in the South East of England and certainly growing up I eschewed all traces of Scottishness (how I hated my gran when she tried to get me into a kilt!) but I suppose I've noticed something similar, in that the 'cringe' factor seems to have disappeared. I only have an aunt left up in Glasgow, and she's a terrible Daily Mail reading Tory, so not really a benchmark to judge these things by, but certainly on my visits up to the Fringe these last few years there does seem to be a more comfortable embracing of Scottish cultural heritage, something a little more celebratory.

Just anecdotally, with regards to the theory that Louis' constant 'Scotland, he needs your vote' being counterproductive (perhaps deliberately so) , it occurred to me that back when Eoghan was on the show that I gradually went from indifferent to actively hating him because of the constant fishing for Irish votes - the perception did become that he was still in it only because of the 'Irish vote'. So, I guess that counts as a spurious proof-of-concept that the constant regionalisation of contestants does alienate viewers not from those places.


Hmm. Does the general perception up there tally with that though, that he was shafted? I get the feeling that the vast majority of people are terribly unquestioning about his treatment on the show and it's only on here or sofabet where people look into this stuff - though maybe that's because down here people aren't looking for it. Certainly my housemates started taking the piss mercilessly out of me when I would comment about him being sabotaged. They just had no inclination to even consider it as a possibility because they just didn't care. Sadly I suspect that's true of 99% of people.

I must say, I have started to wonder whether it was merely a Scottish thing - not wanting a Scottish winner (if only to avoid the 'confirmation' of the Scottish vote, a backlash, and the potentially damaging PR that could have on both Nicholas and the XF brand). There were some who said Nicky was booed when he got through over Luke. I didn't pick up on it but, if so, wtf London? Argh. So. Many. Questions.



If yours was a novel, apologies for the trilogy!

And yeah, Happy Christmas!