Music
02 Jun 10

JLS - June 16 & 17

The X-Factor runners up embark this year on their first arena tour, which will include appearances in Croke Park, the O2 and, of course, Live at the Marquee.

JLS – consisting of Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes, Jonathan "JB" Gill, and Oritsé Williams – were runners-up on season five of The X Factor. The band survived ten weeks of televised votes only to lose out cruelly to Alexandra Burke in the final. However, their performances were more than good enough for Epic Records, home to the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Rage Against the Machine, who signed them up immediately.

The group released their eponymous debut album in November 2009: sales of over one million copies in the UK saw the group pick up the British Breakthrough award at the 2010 BRIT Awards. The group have scored two No.1 singles to date with 'Beat Again' and 'Everybody in Love'.

Fans of the band can look forward to the arrival of their as-yet-untitled second album, with lead single 'The Club is Alive' due in July 2010.

DID YOU KNOW?
• JLS is an acronym for Jack the Lad Swing.
• JLS became the first X Factor contestants ever to pick up a BRIT award.
• Before joining JLS, Marvin Humes was part of rap group VS, set up by Blue’s Simon Webbe in 2004.
• Before entering The X Factor in 2008, JLS performed under the name of UFO (Unique Famous Outrageous).