Simon Rushworth
Don’t hold your breath but it’s ‘rock week’ on X Factor on Saturday.
There have been various pictures of the Lenny Kravitz-esque Jamie Afro wearing an AC/DC T-shirt splashed across the press.
And the big name guests are Bon Jovi – set to perform their new single after announcing a series of o2 Arena shows for 2010.
Westlife have even urged fellow countrymen John and Edward Grimes (those terrible twins) to cover Metallica as the reality show which normally shuns the heavy stuff apparently goes hell for leather.
And yet we can’t help but feel you’re more likely to find a large chunk of rock in your local soft play than on this consistently feeble Saturday primetime show.
Bearing in mind U2 were deemed to be ‘swing’ by Simon Cowell last weekend what on earth will he class as rock. Roxette, maybe? Spandau Ballet, perhaps. How about Busted…
In fact the chances of Def Leppard, Alice In Chains, Megadeth, Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden finding themselves under the spotlight this weekend are somewhere between nil and zero.
But isn’t it just a little bit interesting that a show which peddles throwaway pop and grating R&B as its staple material feels the need to add rock to the mix?
Have X Factor bosses suddenly switched on to the Guitar Hero phenomenon and accepted that guitar, bass and drums can complement, rather than drown, talented vocalists.
Or is this uncharacteristic move simply a means of promoting prize asset Jamie – the most obvious rock singer in the world?
Whether we get real rock or pop rock doesn’t really matter. Whether Richie Sambora’s amp is turned on or he’s simply playing along to a backing track isn’t really the issue. And if Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing is about as rock as it gets then it’s not a problem.
The fact that the word rock is linked to the X Factor at all is reason enough to hope that the powers that be haven’t totally forgotten about the finest form of music that there is.
And if it inspires just one kid to ditch his dream of becoming the next Michael Buble in favour of becoming the next Brian Johnson then it’s worth the prospect of a series of hapless wannabes destroying some of the biggest rock anthems on the planet. Just about.