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From Little Mix to One Direction… how The X Factor rocked Aberdeen

Little Mix wowed Aberdeen fans in The X Factor Live show in 2013 after winning the series - then going on to superstardom.
Little Mix wowed Aberdeen fans in The X Factor Live show in 2013 after winning the series - then going on to superstardom.

The X Factor has sung its swansong… but the memory of the popular talent show will live on for the thousands of fans who flocked to the live show at the AECC every year.

Always one of the hottest tickets in town – with shows selling out as soon as they went on sale – The X Factor Live tour saw soon-to-be household names, such as One Direction, Little Mix, Leona Lewis and Olly Murs gracing the Granite City.

Also in the mix were some acts you might be hard put to remember. We’ve opened our archives to take a look at some of those memorable gigs and how the crowds enjoyed them.

Leona Lewis hit the AECC stage in a blaze of glory when took to the stage of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre after winning The X Factor in 2006.


Fans going wild at The X Factor live show in 2010 and with good reason… it was a bumper year with acts like Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon and Jedward all breaking through in the series won by Joe McElderry.


And here’s cheeky chappy Olly Murs thrilling the Granite City audience.


Jedward were well on their way to being household names by the time they took their unique act to the AECC as part of the X Factor Live tour.


James Arthur has now established his credentials as a serious singer-songwriter, but back in 2012 his claim to fame was as winner of the ninth series of The X Factor – a title that won him top billing on the live tour, including performing at the AECC.


One from the “do you remember?” file. Here’s Honey G entertaining the AECC crowd in 2017.


Having a good time at the AECC in 2007… when X Factor fans were treated to performances by the likes of Ray Quinn and winner Leona Lewis.


Before they went on to musical global domination, boy band One Direction were just some of the finalists thrilling X Factor fans at the AECC in 2011. Given their subsequent success, it’s hard to believe they came third in the show, behind winner Matt Cardle and runner-up Rebecca Ferguson.


X Factor runners-up Reggie ‘n’ Bollie brought the part to the AECC in 2016.


So, who had the audience on their feet at The X Factor Live in 2012? Well, it could have been anyone from winner James Arthur to the hugely popular Rylan Clark, or the cheekily charming Lucy Spraggan.


And here’s Rylan doing his thing at the AECC… before heading off to a glittering career as a TV presenter.


The north-east’s X Factor fans weren’t just about watching the TV series or live shows… they wanted to be contestants, too. Here’s the queue for the show’s mobile auditions when on St Nicholas Street in 2012.


Misha B had hoped to be crowned queen of The X Factor in 2011 but she couldn’t compete with the might of Little Mix. She was, though, a crowd favourite when the live show came to Aberdeen the following year.


And let’s end this trip down The X Factor memory lane where it all started. Here’s the winner of the first series of the show, Steve Brookstein, giving it laldy at the AECC after his 2004 triumph.


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