Lashes to Channel Girl Power For Star Factory Round 3?
The singers have apparently been preparing a song with a message for this week's live show.


Lashes singer Natalya Dobros arrives for rehearsals earlier this week looking relaxed and casual.

Remember 1997? Remember the Spice Girls giving us instructions on what we would need to do if we "wanna be their lover"? Well it appears that the phenomenon that was "Girl Power" could be about to be given a makeover suitable for 2012 thanks to the Star Factory's most controversial and most spoken about act, if their rehearsals from this week are anything to go by.

Lashes have been dividing opinions since their first audition hit the air, and the live shows have been no different, with pole dancing and gyrating choreography with muscle-bound back up dancers getting people talking about them all over the country. The four-piece girl group topped the voting after their performance of Brittany Knox's debut hit Leather Love last week, their over the top performance, clad in leather while they pretended to whip and dominate their male backing performers, causing yet another reaction from the crowd and grabbing the headlines.

And now the girls are looking to make yet another impact this week, despite being aware that the week three challenge does not exactly complement their style of electro-led dance-inspired pop. An insider from the show said that the group had worked tirelessly behind the scenes this week to make sure they don't simply blend in.

"These Lashes girls are real troopers, and they know what they are talking about. Thankfully, Brittany and them are so on the same page that they seem to always know what the other is going to say, and their plans just fall together.

"They know that their whole style of music is focused around making a show of things and proving that they are the centre of attention. That's why they have decided to attack the ballad round rather than feeling sorry for themselves that it doesn't suit them and trying to play it safe."

The insider told Culture Uncut that the group are now set to use the gimmick of Girl Power to stand out this week, following on from their domineering performance of Leather Love.

"Lashes are clever. Seriously. They know what this sort of programme, and this sort of industry even, is all about, and they have not taken this decision lightly. You are going to see a group make the stage their own, remarkably, in a week that really does not suit them at all. I thought they'd be in trouble, but they have managed to pull it off!"

Earlier this week, Gemma Kane was seen looking flustered and tired as she arrived for the first mentor meeting of the week following the announcement of the challenge. The singer, who appears to be locked in a weekly battle with Natalya Dobros to prove who is the true lead singer of Lashes, said that it was hard to make the decision on how best to make the performance Lashes-like, without ruining the performance. or the integrity of the challenge.

"I haven't slept," she told Culture Uncut on Monday. "I was up all night on the phone with Brit trying to formulate a plan. Thankfully we have it nailed."

In contrast, her bandmate Natalya arrived later that day looking relaxed and casual in a loose fitting shirt and sun glasses, appearing unfazed by the difficult week lying ahead for her and her colleagues

"Another week brings another challenge. Why would we even bother to be here if we don't want to be challenging ourselves? I look forward to it," the Russian said.