Union J Shrewsbury Buttermarket date ticket frenzy

The boy band – booted out of the ITV hit show on Sunday – will play in front of nearly 2,000 fans at the town's Buttermarket. The band, mentored by Louis Walsh and tipped to be the next big boy band, will perform at the club in Howard Street on December 27.

Bosses said they have been swamped with calls for tickets after the band – JJ Hamblett, Josh Cuthbert, George Shelley and Jaymi Hensley – announced the gig to their 123,000 fans on Facebook.

Buttermarket owner Martin Monahan said 400 out of the 1,800 tickets available for the gig had already been sold.

He said: "Union J announced The Buttermarket was the first official show date in the UK and the facebook post went viral on the internet to more than four million users including their 123,000 Facebook fans.

"We were left with no alternative but to confirm the gig ahead of schedule and release tickets last night to avoid further crashes on the website and stop the phone lines being constantly jammed."

Mr Monahan, who also owns The Peach Tree restaurant in Abbey Foregate, said staff there had also received more than 200 calls from Union J fans.

He added that it was a big coup to secure the band's first gig. He said: "We have been asking customers what they wanted to see at the venue and X Factor artists have always been very successful."

The gig on December 27 is open to fans aged 16 and over.

Mr Monahan said: "There are a lot of young people who want to be first to see Union J. We have had calls from fans in London, Manchester and Nottingham."

Union J finished fourth in this year's X Factor competition, but have been tipped to be the 'next big boy band' by judges Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh.