Lashes - pre-performanceAs LASHES are announced as the next performer, the stage lights dim, and the video wall at the back of it flashes on, showing the four girls sitting in their dressing room, still clad in the leather costumes they wore for their performance of Brittany Knox's Leather Love the week before. As the four of them stare at a TV screen in the corner, the voice of Damion Holmes can be heard over the PA.
"And the first act going through this week, with the highest number of votes is....LASHES!" Holmes voice is then drowned out by the screaming of the four girls, who leap to their feet and hug each other as they ecstatically jump around, celebrating their top-position in the voting. The camera then cuts to a mid close up of Gemma Kane dressed casually, and smiling against a Star Factory backdrop as she pushes the hair from her eyes, leaning towards the camera.
Quote:Last week was a sensational result for Lashes. We literally could not believe it. I swear. It was like I swooned and nearly died when Damion read out the results to the show. For real. I was hoping for a top four finish, but when he said we were number one, it was like WOW! I genuinely thought that both Aubrey and Edward were sensational, and I was really worried about them totally mopping the floor with us! We will take the win though, and we're going to push on and try hard to keep people happy!
The camera cuts to a scene of the four girls huddled around a table, while Brittany Knox is seen scribbling on a whiteboard laid out in front of them, the titles of prospective tracks for tonight's show obscured by pixelation. Halfway through, the voice of Lily-Rose Cardle plays over the scene, before the camera moves again to show her sitting in front of the same Star Factory screen.
Quote:There were more than a couple of worried faces in our camp when the task was announced on Sunday night. It was almost like it was designed to trip us up. I mean, we know it wasn't, but to be on a roll, and banging out the big tracks with all the theatrics, only to be told that we have to tone it down and go slow this week; well we were a bit worried. Credit to Natalya though. As big mouthed as she is normally, she was the voice of reason here. And she was right. It is a challenge, and we have to face it head on. Now we are confident. Very.
The next scene depicts the four girls rehearsing on the stage, with Lily-Rose apparently taking command of the microphone and singing the lead part, although the song they are practicing, a top secret, is obscured by the voice-over from Natalya Dobros, waxing lyrical about the dedication of her band mates in the face of adversity.
Quote:This week has truly shown me what these girls have to offer. I joined this band maybe a year ago, and I always questioned the dedication of some of these girls who seemed to be happy doing what they were doing. But this has made them all sit up and take notice. They have realised that we cannot simply get through a career by always doing the same thing. We are not Katie Coyle after all (laughs). No, this week we have had to adapt, change and work hard, and I have been impressed by the dedication that my band has shown to do this.
The final pre-show scene shows the girls back in the apartment they all share, preparing for the show. They are choosing outfits from the wardrobe in one of the bedrooms and holding them in front of themselves as they stand in front of a mirror and discuss what looks good and on who. As they giggle and continuously talk over each other, the voice of Mercedes Gomez plays, before the camera cuts to her, sitting back and looking relaxed in an interview room.
Quote:Picking our tracks for this week was unbelievably difficult. When it came to deciding what we wanted to do, we decided that there had to be some sort of catch or hook to it. It's what we do, we are an impact band, and after the message and strength we put across last week, and in the first week, we did not just want to stand up there and start singing some love song at a guy that makes us sound weak and unworthy. It's the traditional thing for girls to do. But we didn't want to. We want to show who we are, and we want to give everyone the message that we are different. So we came up with a theme. Lashes presents Girl Power!
Lashes - Please Don't Leave Me (Pink)As soon as Mercedes says the words "Girl Power", the stage goes dark as the video wall dies, and the words "Girl Power" reverberate around the arena amidst silent expectance from the capacity crowd inside of the studio, waiting to see what Lashes can throw out there this week in a challenge which is not really suited to them. As the stage remains dark, a door can be heard to slam somewhere in the distance. Just then, a spotlight comes on in the very corner of the stage, illuminating a dark and dingy little door, the type normally seen in the back alleys of seedy clubs. A neon sign, akin to those people associate with strip clubs in the US flashes on above the door, pink in colour, and bearing the word "LASHES", with a massive arrow pointing down to the door. In the silence of the stage, someone starts to bang on the door from the other side. There is a muffled scream heard from behind the door, and the crowd murmur in anticipation.
Just then, a male dancer comes bursting out of the door, his shirt torn down the front, and his tie looking dishevelled. The look of panic on his face is clear as he turns and stares back into the door. As he turns to run, he trips and falls, turning onto his back and backing off ever so slightly. Just then, a voice of an unknown singer comes on over the PA.
Da da da da, Da da da da,
Da da da da da
When the singing stops, a familiar guitar riff start to play slowly, and Natalya Dobros walks out of the door to a massive cheer from the audience, baring down on the prone dancer lying on the floor. She steps over him, and places one leg either side of him, reaching down and grabbing his tie, wrapping it violently around her hand in staring into his eyes with anger in her eyes, which then changes to some sort of mock sympathy. She whispers "Please don't leave me," before throwing him back down to the stage and singing the opening verse, a lone figure on the darkened stage, only herself, the dancer and the door illuminated. Natalya sings most of the first verse to the dancer, walking around him to show how in control she is, and occasionally bending down to sing close to his face as he winces, clearly "terrified" of the singer.
I don't know if I can yell any louder,
How many times have I kicked you out of here?
Or said something insulting?
Da da da da da
I can be so mean when I wanna be,
I am capable of really anything,
I can cut you into pieces,
When my heart is, broken.
Da da da da da
The irony in the choice of this Pink song is clear. Although it sounds like some girl pleading desperately with her boyfriend to stay with her, Pink's attitude and style mean that it is clearly ironic, a track to show the power that girls hold over guys, and no matter how many times they push them away, or what they do to them, a guy will always come crawling back to a strong woman, a perfect choice for Lashes Girl Power theme that they are attempting to put across on stage tonight.
As the first verse ends, the other three members of Lashes emerge from the door, with the last of them, Mercedes slamming it closed behind her. Natalya slaps her dancer on the face, as he joins the rest of the girls at the front of the stage to sing the chorus, dancers once again descending on the stage to try and reach the girls, but this time kept at bay by some sort of symbolic cage which engulfs the entire perimeter of the stage, stopping the dancers from reaching the girls, their hands pawing at the bars and reaching out to the singers as they stand front and centre, harmonising beautifully throughout the chorus, and smiling out the crowd dancing in front of them.
Please don't leave me,
Please don't leave me
I always say how I don't need you,
But it's always gonna come right back to this,
(Please, Please) Please don't leave me,
Baby, please, please don't leave me.When the chorus finishes, the cage at the sides of the stage descend, allowing one of the dancers to run towards Gemma Kane. As he reaches her, she pulls her hand back and strikes him in the centre of his chest with her palm, sending him sprawling into a chair alongside her, just as she starts to sing the bridge of the song. Throughout this section, while her brilliantly emotive voice weaves its way wonderfully through the difficult section, she dances around the chair, giving the man sitting in it some sort of depraved, and scary lap dance, clearly displayed by the terrified look in his face.As the section comes to an end, Mercedes and Natalya return to the front of the stage, rope in hand, and tie the man to the chair, which Gemma kicks backwards at the very crescendo, sending him flying to the floor.
I forgot to say out loud,
How beautiful you really are to me,
I can't be without,
You're my perfect little punching bag,
And I need you,
I'm sorry.
Da da da da
da da da daOnce the bridge is finished, Gemma kneels beside her man, still tied to the chair, stroking his hair and face cruelly, as Natalya is reunited with hers, still holding his tie and dragging him along the floor as she sings the final chorus. At the side of the stage, Mercedes has moved to where the cage has re-emerged, standing there holding the hand of a dancer who is at the other side of it, and staring into his eyes as she sings. Missing from the stage at this point is Lily, although the other three girls manage to nail the chorus perfectly while they further punish "their" man for daring to leave them.
Please don't leave me, (Yeah)
Please don't leave me
(I) I always say how I don't need you,
But it's always gonna come right back to this,
(Please, Please) Please don't leave me,
Baby, please, please don't leave me.As soon as the chorus ends, the entire stage descends into darkness, leaving only the door from earlier still illuminated by a single spotlight. Now standing in the door is Lily, who looks longingly across the stage into the darkness as she sings the last line of the song without any backing, and very softly and sweetly.
Baby, please, please...don't leave me...The stage then goes completely dark again, and the crowd applaud and cheer wildly.
Lashes - Beautiful (Christina Aguilera)After the cheering has died down, a slow song piano song starts to play, and the stage lights come back up, to show the four members of Lashes sitting atop stools in the middle of the stage. After all the showmanship and theatrics of their first track, the stage is bare for this song, dimly lit, with only some white lights moving slowly across the stage, as the four sit there, singing, showcasing just their voices for once over the normal massive circus they bring. For the first verse, Lily, who has yet to really show off her skill in the contest, takes the lead vocal, one hand placed on the side of her stool as she sings with a tear in her eye, staring out across the swaying, hushed audience.
Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly it's hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain, feel so ashamedAs she reached the end of the chorus, each of the three other girls were slowly clicking their fingers along in time with the slow pace of the track, clearly feeling the emotion of the song as Lily sings it perfectly note for note. When it reaches the chorus, they all sing in unison, once again hitting the perfect harmony, as they turn and smile at each other throughout the chorus, remaining seated throughout the entirety of the section, and allowing the words, for once, to do the talking. This different approach, although not the way Lashes would normally head into a live performance, allows the audience and judges to see that they have the ability to change and be different whenever they need to be. It also allows each of them to show how strong their voices are individually.
I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down, oh no
So don't you bring me down todayAt the finale of the chorus, the faces of all four Lashes members, looking completely different from normal, are flashed up on the back screen. Each of them is displayed in a full headshot, with no makeup on, and looking natural, as if they are attempting to put a message across, a message that the audience react to, just as Mercedes takes the lead for the second verse of the song, singing it slowly and perfectly. Although her voice is very different from the rest of the group, it still resonates well, having a much more Latin tone to it, and making it sound almost sadder. As she sings it, she has her eyes closed, as if remembering something which has happened in her past.
To all your friends you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Tryin' hard to fill the emptiness, the piece is gone
Left the puzzle undone, ain't that the way it is?After the girls sing a second chorus in unison again, the song reaches its vocal crescendo. The real question lies with this: Who will be singing the challenging section? Both Natalya and Gemma have been battling for the position of lead singer of the group since the competition began, and as the song reaches its peak, it is Natalya who takes to her feet, moving a few steps forward, as the lights on the stage dim slightly lower, and a shimmering light covers the Russian beauty, allowing her all the attention, and letting her sing without the weight around her neck of trying to look seductive and sultry for once. As she sings note perfectly through the bridge section, Natalya holds her hand out in front of her, as if to reach out to the judges, the audience, anyone watching at home, making a connection personally.
No matter what we do
No matter what we do
(No matter what we say)
No matter what we say
(We're the song that's outta tune)
(Full of beautiful mistakes)
(And everywhere we go)
And everywhere we go
(The sun will always shine)
The sun will always, always shine!
(But tomorrow we might awake on the other side)
When the chorus comes back in, the girls all stand up and join Natalya at the front of the stage, joined hand-in-hand as the stage is showered in sparkles. Behind them, on the video wall, images of a number of girls are displayed, showing the message of beauty. The images range from people in heavy makeup, to those with none on at all, through people whose eye shadow is streaking down their face through their tears. As the last chrous is sung in a triumphant sort of tone from the quartet, they each smile widely. And as it reaches its finale, and they slowly sing the last quiet line in unison, the cheers begin from the audience. When the song ends, the four girls smile again and embrace each other in a delighted group hug, clearly proud of their performance.
'Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down, oh no
So don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today
