Home at last: Jai McDowall brought the local audience to their feet Pic: © REX Features
The Britain’s Got Talent tour hit Glasgow with a bang last night as local hero Jai McDowall, the first Scottish winner of the primetime show finally got to play to his home crowd. You could tell from the air of anticipation hanging over the lively atmosphere at the Clyde Auditorium that he was the one the crowd had come for, with the other acts merely the prelude.
But it was clear that the audience were out to have a good time too and relished seeing the eclectic mix of talent on offer from the hit television series in person.
Cute boy band New Bounce opened the show, setting the raucous tone for the night. Fans screeched with excitement as the teen foursome swaggered on stage, showcasing their sweet voices in a funky pop medley.
Razy Gogonea, the body-popping break-dancer brought a dash of Hollywood sci-fi to the proceedings with his impressive Matrix-inspired dance routine – complete with knee-running, fire dancing and, as he informed host Stephen Mulhern afterwards, some burnt hands.
And the familiar faces that had kept us entertained on the TV show just kept on coming. From the comedy dance routine of 53-year-old telecommunications and wedding dancing specialist Steven Hall, to the fun-filled medley of bouncing organist Jean Martyn, it might have been an old style variety night.
Bookies favourite and runner-up Ronan Parke unsurprisingly stole the show - at least for a while. The tiny Justin Bieber lookalike with the big voice belted out a spellbinding rendition of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good to a wave of high-octane screams from the audience.
But organisers had kept back some surprises for the second half, with a couple of enthralling combos. Doing what he does best, singer Michael Collings – perched on a stool with his acoustic guitar – gave a natural and emotive performance of Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, while Britain’s Got Talent’s answer to Billy Elliot, James Hobley, complemented the music beautifully with a gentle dance routine. Passionate pianist Paul Gbegbaje joined forces with heartthrob Ronan to give a spine-tingling rendition of Adele’s Make You Feel My Love.
Then the time finally came to give the Scottish fans what they had been eagerly waiting for – Britain’s Got Talent winner 2011, Jai McDowall. The atmosphere was electric when the Tarbolton boy walked on stage and he was clearly moved to be playing to his home crowd. Silence quickly descended as the powerful voice that won him the coveted crown took hold. And as the crowd erupted and rose to their feet after his closing performance, it’s hard to believe that only a matter of months ago Scotland’s latest singing sensation was doing karaoke down the local pub.
