One Direction

A sold-out Brighton Centre was filled with screaming girls – OK the odd boy or parent but they were well outnumbered.

They are a winning formula which owes less to their X Factor beginnings and more to the perfectly pitched matching of heartthrobs 1D to their target audience.

From the first number – ‘Na Na Na’ – set against a beach backdrop with a VW camper the boys – Zayn, Niall, Harry, Louis and Liam – looked great, and sound pretty good too – what you could hear above the screams.

Based on seasons with relevant costume changes for New Term etc and segments showcasing individual talents like Niall playing guitar plus a mix of new-ish material and a set of acoustic covers (Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Gotta Feeling’, Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’), plus the inevitable finale of ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’ almost taking off what was left of the roof and surely leaving most of the audience unable to hear properly, this was incredible show.

Brighton Centre, 8 January 2012
Rating:
Candy MacNamara