Shropshire Star

X Factor stars Union J thrill fans at The Buttermarket in Shrewsbury

[gallery] Union J hysteria hit Shropshire as Britain's next big boy band sent their teenage fans wild in Shrewsbury.

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The X Factor group made a triumphant appearance at The Buttermarket last night in front of 1,800 screaming fans – and revealed on stage they would be returning to the venue early next month.

Club owner Martin Monahan said the group needed a police escort when they left as hundreds of girls attempted to swamp their vehicle for a final glimpse of the band.

The four-piece, who have just been snapped up for a record deal by Sony Music, will be back in Shrewsbury on January 11 for a show starting at 9pm.

Union J fans were snapping up hundreds of tickets today for the January 11 concert.

All 400 early-bird tickets sold out within two hours this morning and another batch is now on sale.

And fans continued to hit the phone lines and websites as X Factor fever hits Shropshire once again.

Union J have been tipped to follow in the footsteps of fellow X Factor alumni One Direction – and showed their star quality in Shrewsbury as fans queued for hours outside The Buttermarket to secure the best spots to watch their new idols.

Fans from across the country travelled to Shropshire for the show. One audience member, Laura Chougar, even came all the way from Paris. She held up a home-made sign with Keep Calm – And Believe in Union J written on it.

The band's arrival on stage shortly after 11.30pm was greeted with huge screams as they raced through a selection of the chart-topping hits that helped them progress to the semi-final of the ITV1 show.

Mr Monahan said: "Last night Union J completely stormed the crowd, it was electric. We're delighted to announce that they will be returning in just a couple of weeks time to do it all again, although this time all ages can come along and enjoy them as long as under-16s are accompanied.

"After Union J announced it last night we're expecting a huge demand for tickets again."

Doors at the nightclub opened at 8pm and the atmosphere had reached fever pitch by the time the group came on stage for a set lasting for about 20 minutes, with hundreds of fans packing the dance floor and the VIP balconies.

The audience, made up largely of teenage girls, screamed with delight as JJ Hamblett, Josh Cuthbert, George Shelley and Jaymi Hensley got behind their microphones.

They performed tracks including Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe, Beyonce's Sweet Dreams, Leona Lewis's Keep Bleeding and Labrinth's massive hit with Emeli Sande, Beneath Your Beautiful.

After the performance, the group held a meet-and-greet session with fans in the VIP area of the club.

Union J are the second X Factor act to play at The Buttermarket, with fellow contestant Rylan Clark playing the first of a series of shows at the club on December 22.

And tomorrow night X Factor winner James Arthur will be performing at The Buttermarket, with runner-up Jahmene Douglas taking to the stage on Sunday. Ella Henderson is also booked to perform on January 5.

Among those fans who made a long journey to the Union J show in Shrewsbury was 13-year-old Katy Gibbs and her mother Claire, from Barry in South Wales.

Katy said the show had been well worth the journey, with the group matching up to their performances on X Factor.

"It was amazing and I can't stop shaking. Their voices are just amazing and they are good looking as well," she said.

Another teenager to enjoy the performance was Tanisha Hanna-Beards, 16, from Newport in Shropshire, who came to The Buttermarket with her stepmother Janine Sansom.

She said she was pleased the group sounded as good in the flesh as they did on television. "They were really, really good and they sounded really good live – I was a bit shocked," she said.

"I didn't expect them to be that good."

By Chris Burn

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