The X Factor VS. Reality

There's lots of controversy at the moment about the old X Factor marlarkey and the latest results saga that saw those two that can sing go against each other, whilst those two that can't sing sailed out of the studio safely through to the next round.

You have to think though, somewhere along the way, people have lost the point. Yes, music is important, yes people who have a talent have every right to be lauded on screen and get that Christmas number 1 single with a song about love, loss of love, or working in a garage. But let's not get too hung up on the outrage that is a man singing badly while gyrating on stage going through at the expense of a brilliant warbler; after all, its worked for Robbie Williams on a massive scale.

Up and down the land, there are people who have bought all manner of tat, ranging from Dutch pop nonsense Vengaboys to the glorious lack of talent that was Flat Eric, with a million grandmothers at some point having bought, or worse been given, a Jane McDonald 'Best Of' album. 

A vision in denim.

Whilst it's a singing competition, it's dependent utterly on the public vote and after all, we vote for what we like. Whether that's a wannabe cruise ship artist who does right by his nan, or a fantastically talented singer guitar man who's previously played pub back rooms for years, in the end it doesn't actually matter. The public are a great leveller, and just because you deserve to win doesn't mean you will. We love to disappoint. It's up there with queuing. 

What is a shame of all of this will be the amount of press coverage that will follow over the next week, the exclusive interviews, the This Morning performances, the crying to camera only to announce the launch of a new debut album due in January 2013 and the genuine belief that this is an outrage. Tonight, hundreds of bands and artists will have played to crowds ranging from no-one to thousands, giving it their all and believing their music can change your world. They won't be in the papers, people on the street won't know their name and you can bet your TV that if they can't make Simon Cowell an insane amount of money they won't be in your conscious any time soon. 

Bands like this play backrooms. Seek them out.

So again, does it really matter that the talent lost out? Isn't it always the way? Who says those 14 acts are any better than the bands at your local pub who play night in, night out in the hope of being noticed? Isn't it time we all just switched off the T.V, stop watching 'reality' television and focus on living in reality, join the backrooms, the arenas, the galleries and get involved with whats out there. I can guarantee it'll be better than the pixel pop polish of the X Factor production.