DARIUS
London Hammersmith Apollo, 25 May 2003

How many reasons are there to love Darius? Plenty. For example, no less astute a figure than Charlotte Hatherley once described him as having "great clanging balls of steel". Moreover, he so appals that great bastion of consensus-rock stultification Q that they once crassly asked their readership if he might not in fact be "the intense humming of evil". Plus, those of us that managed to fit in some Saturday morning telly this weekend are now aware that he likes both tATu and The Darkness. In theory, we like him a lot.

Of course, this is our first chance to actually experience him in practice, and, given the sheer quality of last year's 'Dive In' album, we've got high hopes. Yes, you heard; he may not have been afforded the warmest of critical welcomes, but that's due to the fact that reality TV records still, in spite of the all-too-apparent greatness of Liberty X and now Girls Aloud, bring eight out of ten reviewers out in hives (and often have them reaching for The Hives as a result...), whereas, had Darius emerged through any other means at all he would've been welcomed as a promising singer-songwriter. He's certainly far more charismatic than most of the post-Elliott Smith or new acoustic troubadours that've ploughed that furrow in the last five years and, cheeringly, after his struggle to be taken seriously (OK, so he's not exactly Gandhi, but few public figures this century have so far become such a complete national laughing stock so quickly, so his efforts to overcome that shouldn't really be knocked), he's comfortable enough to play up the tics that led to the Guardian styling him the emperor of emmenthal without sacrificing his populist instincts or diluting what are often fundamentally sound songs. He kicks off boldly, disposing of two of his finest offerings (a convincingly jubilant 'Sliding Doors' and the thrillingly robust 'Mocking Bird') within the first quarter of an hour before hurling himself cheekily into the first of a slightly alarming collection of astutely-chosen covers for the evening, blending 'Bootylicious' with 'Faith' and proving that - good lord! - he hasn't half learned to dance. Well, he'd never have managed that if he'd made it into Hear'Say, bless them.

Indeed, there's something a touch on the knowing side about the whole performance, from the introducing-the-band shenanigans to the multiple costume changes to the referencing of 'Kiss', 'Hot In Herre' and, and we could've put money on this one, 'Like I Love You'. It's also a little disingenuous of Mr Danesh to claim that he wanted to release 'Colourblind' so much (can you blame him? It remains a soaring stormer, and, while he's not quite Smokey Robinson yet, he's still got an accomplished way with the extended metaphor) that he turned down the chance to sign with Simon Cowell. But these are mere quibbles, easily overridden by the boy's charm and unmistakably obvious joy. He spends a great deal of the ninety-minute set unbelievably near a delirious crowd who restrain themselves admirably with the exception of one crotch-hungry type of whom Darius clearly approves, and, entirely shamelessly, he even drags a girl up to serenade her during 'Girl In The Moon' and proceeds to snog her, with tongues and everything by the look of it. Lumme!

Not that it's all sex and spectacle, as if that were a bad thing. More impressively, 'Rushes' comes across as so lushly post-'Kiss Kiss' that had he been down in Riga the previous night the UK would've walked it as opposed to enduring the twisted limp of 'Cry Baby', 'Dive In' itself is a singalong slab of glory, and 'Mercury Rising', potentially the only point at which the spectre of Tony Hadley that hovered over him in his early career could've re-emerged, does a fine job of slamming assertions that his performances have no emotional range. Sure, he's yet to win everyone over, but it's refreshing to see a performer that'd look completely at home everywhere from Glastonbury to G.A.Y. and, while he may have had to bow before Will and Gareth in the Pop Idol stakes there's no denying that, to many, he's something of a god in his own right anyway, and rightly so. Can you feel the love in the room? Hell, yeah!

WORDS: Iain Moffat

Darius Rocks His Better Body
By Karen Hyland

There was a right old hula-hula hype surrounding the tour of Justin T earlier this month.

But frankly his lack of material and dwindling charisma when faced with a huge crowd left Ace feeling a bit flat.

Luckily we’ve our very own, home-spun pop legend in the making, as we headed to Hammersmith Apollo to see mighty Darius perform the closing night of his UK tour.

Darius had one thing on his mind when he bounded on stage clad in fitted black shirt and tight jeans – to woo every lady in the hall.

As he belted out Sliding Doors, strummed along to Better Than That and harmonised on Simple Like The Truth, he proved not only his singles were a hit.

But it was when the chords to Rushes inched in that everyone was off their seats and Darrius frenzy kicked in.

Darius, like Justin has only one album, but where Mr T dragged out all the fillers, Darius added a selection of well-selected covers to his set.

First he was telling the crowd his body’s too bootylicious (no argument here) before having a respectable stab at Like I Love You.

For one so lanky, boy can he move. There were hip swivels the likes of which Elvis would be proud.

Darius had a quick change into pale jeans and white shirt before slinking back on stage for a rendition of George Michael’s Faith.

He bumped and ground for all his worth at all the screaming girls in the front row with a provocative kiss.

The excitement in the air was electric. Everyone wanted a piece of Darius, and one girl had a real good try as she clawed up his legs!

It was time to take things down a tempo as Darius invited a lucky girl to join him on stage while he pulled up a stool for her.

He then knelt at her feet, stared into her eyes and sang his gentle new single Girl In The Moon.

Incredible! And a cover of Nelly’s Hot in Here soon had the crowd back on their feet, putty in the Scottish hunk’s hands.

One more costume change and Darius was ready to show off his smooth side, as he crooned Cole Porter’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin.

And that’s when you realise he has it all – good looks, charm, sex appeal, a rare humility and real sticking power.

He fulfils the pop idol role perfectly, but could equally be sitting on a stool, performing a pared-down acoustic set in years to come.

Of Course the highlight of the show was the encore as Darius performed his no1 hit Colourblind, again thrusting for all his work.

Being the closing night, he dragged everyone on stage who’d been involved in the tour, before pogoing along to a special ode to Blink 128.

Whatever the critics may say we were certainly feeling the love in that room. And the boy’s just begun.

Darius -Manchester Apollo - 16.5.03

6.30pm: Staring at pint. Wondering exactly how I managed to leave Ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce and Ex-Oasis guitarist Bonehead in favour of 3rd Place Pop Idol contestant Darius Danesh. It doesn't even bear thinking about so the only cure really is a few swift jars in order to numb the pain.

7.45pm: Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse I witness support act Peppercorn - a girl who makes Kym Marsh look like the perfect dinner party guest. If you bump into her make sure you pass her a dictionary with the words "Tune" and "Personality" underlined. Make her repeat the definitions 7 times each at gun point till it sticks!!!

8.45pm: F**K Me!!! When did Darius stop being Ant & Decs gimp and turn himself into a bona fide hip swivelling god? In one of the biggest transformations since Kylie stopped being Charlene and became Sex Kylie, Darius has squeezed the cheese and summoned the spirits of Ricky Martin and Enrique.

8.50pm: "Manchester, I don't think you can handle it" is announced pantomime style before the unmistakable riff to Bootylicious blasts the roof off and Darius does his best to emulate Beyonce in one of the most bizarre cover versions since A-Teens hooked up with Alice Cooper for "Schools Out". Sadly he segues it into a cover of George Michael's "Faith" just to prove he's a serious artist.

9.20pm: A live bootleg mash-up of Timberlake's "Like I Love You" and Prince's "Kiss". Interesting, but entirely forgettable

9.30pm: With a big D in the sky the return of Darius Danesh Cult Leader comes to the fore and in one of those rambling cheesy monologues he encourages us to "Keep Trying and Stop Buying". Maybe a social commentary of consumer culture and how were all wrapped up with material possessions...or more likely Darius in full on Geri Halliwell School Of Philosophy mode.

9.45pm: "I've Got You Under My Skin". A Great show of diversity mate, but Darius you're no Frank Sinatra.

9.50pm: "Colourblind", the song Simon Cowell wouldn't let him sing at the Pop Idol audition before Darius released it as his debut single and headed straight to number 1. It's one of the few self-penned songs of Darius' tonight which are actually memorable and it's no surprise that the audience know each and every word.

9.55pm: Ending the show on another cover (Blink 182's "All The Small Things") it seems that Darius' wish to be freed of the karaoke idol lifestyle was just a big sham as it's cover versions which really hit the mark tonight. He came, he saw and and he entertained and that's all we can ask for. He's never going to become a national obsession like Gareth Gates and he'll never write the sort of credible song he strives for artistically, but he's a great all round entertainer.

Super-smooth singer Darius Danesh said he was blown away by his welcome from his devotees in Bradford.

He described the dozens of girls - some of whom are pictured with the star - who had waited outside the stage door at St George's Hall all day as 'amazing.'

Darius, a Popstars reject who has since had a number one single with Colourblind, said his dressing room at St George's Hall was full of fan mail when he arrived at the venue before the gig.

"The fans here are amazing," he said. "I cannot tell you what it means to me to know that there are people who enjoy the music as much as I do."

Sixteen-year-old Katie Ramsden, of Bingley, was one of the first fans to get to the stage door - ten hours before the oncert began. Clutching her front-row ticket, Katie said: "I've already seen him in concert in Newcastle and just had to see him again."

'All hotting up for a rocking Darius.'

There was a lot of love in the room - well, in the auditorium - as pop prince Darius took Bradford by storm at St George's Hall last night.

Preceded by solid four-piece support band Peppercorn, who warmed the screaming mass into a Beatles-type hysteria, the Scots crooner soon had the seated crowd jumping out of their seats and screaming for action.

Darius Danesh, now nationally famous for his hysterical Britney blooper on ITV's Popstars show, promised the audience at his Dive In tour a rocking night, and they were not left disappointed.

As he threw himself into his first song, banners, posters and even knickers on a washing line spelling out D-A-R-I-U-S wre held high in the hope the moody musician would spot them. Those not familiar with his album were soon singing along as he launched into a cover of Destiny's Child's hit Bootylicious followed by George Michael's Faith and later a dabble with a couple of Justin Timberlake songs.

And not content with bowling fans over with his singing, Big D also had a few funky dance steps and hip shakes up his sleeve. His universal appeal, infectious smile and slick party moves meant that granddaughters were singing and dancing along with grandmothers.

When the temperature in the theatre began to rise what better way for a pop star to cool down than to pour a bottle of cold water over himself and send the women wild? Add to that an exposed toned and tanned stomach and a sparkly belt and Bradford belles thought they had died and gone to heaven.

With the true cheesiness we have come to expect and admire in the Glaswegian, he told the packed theatre how he had triumphed over adversity, said goodbye to the trademark ponytail of old and had the confidence to return to the TV hit show a second time thanks to his family, great musicians like the Beatles, Tom Jones and - of course - his fans.

His loyal following even got a chance to hear his new single Girl In The Moon.

After leaving the stage to rapturous applause, he returned to stamping feet and calls of "Get your kit off!" to sing Got You Under My Skin. But the best was surely saved until last when he slotted in the song which propelled him to pop fame - chart single Colourblind and a cover version of Blink 182s All The Small Things.

A truly entertaining night was had by all. Darius proved to his legions of fans that he was a real Pop Idol.

PLENTY OF ROOM FOR LOVE!

Darius Danesh has packed alot into his 22 years. He has gone from been abit of a joke (Hit me baby one more time, anyone?) to a chart topping pop Idol in the time it has taken the world to forget his popstars rivals.

So it is no wonder an army of fans packed out his gig at De Montfort Hall. And there was plenty of love in the room for the tall Glaswegian, if the audience's screams , cheers and banners were anything to go by. Wonder if he will accept the marriage proposal?

Before we met the man himself, Peppercorn got the audience in a good mood with her funky numbers.

Then, after a dramatic entrance, Darius showed us what he can do and, from his soulful voice in numbers such as Mercury Rising to his hip- wiggling, Tom Jones- Elvis -esque moves, he did it well. paticular favorites of mine and my funky young companion's were the upbeat Colourblind and Rushes and covers including Kiss, though I think the classics like I've got you under my skin really showed what a good voice he has.

Now I'll confess, I thought the gig would be ok (and I'd be the only person there old enough to get a drink) but it turned out to be a top night out.

From his costume changes and rapport with the audience to his band and atmospheric lighting, The big D proved he could put on a show.

CHEEZY REALITY CHEQUE

I can feel a lot of love in this room ... and it's all making its way to the lanky guy gyrating his hips, almost indecently, on stage.

OK, so that's a complete cliché but when it comes to Darius - reality TV's test-tube baby offspring, possibly of Tom Jones and a Butlin's redcoat, clichés are about all you can use. Cheese? What we are about to witness is stronger than gorgonzola.

We're confronted by the 'Big D' clad in black and striking a pose like Elvis. Are you ready to 'dive in'? Well, we don't really get much choice as Darius rips through his first three numbers (opening with Sliding Doors) barely stopping for breath between songs . It's only after that the full cheese onslaught begins.

Covers of Destiny's Child's 'Bootylicious' and George Michael's 'Faith' are pulled off surprisingly well but, Lord almighty; that dancing!

Darius can't even run across the stage without looking like a badly trained member of a mid-90's boy band, so when his attempts to look sexy are cringe-worthy.

He may have transformed himself from longhaired party ponce to svelte pop pin-up but it's good to see there's still some ridiculous goon trying to rework "Baby one more time" left in the boy yet.

After an energetic rendition of "Rushes", Darius darts off for a costume change. He returns wearing a white shirt, still baring his belly button and, yes, a medallion. But what better attire for a cover of Prince's 'Kiss'? It's only when he sits down to sing slushy ballad ' Mercury Rising' the show buckles under the weight of the schmaltz.

"I want to get a little more intimate with you" we are told but that's nothing compared to the waffle he comes out with before introducing "Girl in the Moon".

He gets a 12 year old girl onstage to serenade for the song, which is a nice touch, but then, when confronted with one over zealous audience member's underwear, he informs us that he, himself, doesn't wear pants. Such schizophrenia. Does he want to be clean-cut Ronan or dangerous Robbie?

You can't help feeling the Big D is aware of his own ridiculousness and indeed relishes in it.

The set picks up with "I'm not Buying", "Incredible" and "Dive In". as Darius performs his upbeat numbers a lot more convincingly than his ballads.

Critics may dwell on the fact Darius seems to pride himself on not releasing cover versions like his other Pop Idol friends yet plays a handful in tonight's set and that is something he needs to address.

His own material should be enough to provide us with a show but when the world is faced with the stifling dullness of Gareth Gates and Will Young we should be grateful for the Big D.

Choose the schmaltz, choose Darius.

As Darius Danesh crouches to sing to a tiny girl plucked from the audience, a Smash Hits photographer leaps on stage to snap the pair. This is not so much a gig as one big promotional opportunity - but then again, Darius's Herculean self-promotion has fuelled his rise from Popstars/Pop Idol rejection to chat-show ubiquity.

His much-discussed "charm" has taken his platinum Dive In album into the bedrooms of the nation's young females, but live, his guard drops. As the first pair of knickers hits the stage, Darius says: "Mmm, bigger than I'm used to. I prefer a slim G-string." He hurriedly adds: "I'm joking."

Then it's back to open-shirted bump'n'grind, every lyric delivered with an exaggerated thrust but without the self-parody of, say, Tom Jones or Shaggy. The audience is 90% female, 20% screaming. It's like watching a singing Chippendale.

Few people can seriously be here for the music, which chugs along inoffensively like something from a mid-1980s Pebble Mill at One. When the machinelike band break their chains to blast into something like Pink Floyd, the frontman tells them to stop: this show is about Darius, and nothing gets in the way.

With an oily expertise reminiscent of the Fast Show's Swiss Toni, he plays the underdog, thanking us for getting him "through a tough patch". (That's being voted off Pop Idol, incidentally, not cutting off his ponytail.) Then he reminds us that he writes his own songs, "not covers that some record producer tells you to". Moments later he is covering George Michael's Faith and Prince's Kiss.

Darius would desperately like to be a serious artist, or at least Tom Jones, but for however long he is with us, he will be Darius the reality-TV phenomenon. "People ask me how I got from the ponytailed prat [cheers from the crowd] to this self-confident artist," he tells us. He mentions his family. Then he says it is because of "all the great artists" (that's "the Beatles, Tom Jones and Robbie Williams"). But the real reason he has come out on top is "YOU! YOU! All of you!" Somehow, you see this coming like a pool of sick in the street, but unfortunately, Darius is more difficult to avoid.

· At St George's Hall, Bradford, tomorrow. Box office: 01274 752000. Then touring.

BILLY SLOAN said Darius "has a very ordinary voice". Was his hearing aid turned on? Darius took our breath away. As for the covers he sang, he was simply having fun with them, unlike Gareth Gates and Will Young whose concerts rely mainly on their terrible covers. - Gillian Russell, by e-mail.

IT'S not true that Darius fails to inspire. He inspired me so much I got a guitar for my birthday and started to write songs, which have got me through times when I'm feeling low. - Sarah Moyes, by e-mail.

I DIDN'T particularly fancy going to see Darius either but I actually do have an open mind (perhaps Billy should look this up in the dictionary) and was surprised by how well he sang. As I said to my daughter, Billy Sloan has been reviewing bands since I was a wee girl and he could never sell a record or fill a concert hall, so what does he know? - Meg, by e- mail.

I WAS relieved to find another who felt the gig was a waste of time and money. I shelled out £15 in the heat of the moment, a moment I wish I had lingered on to consider the options - one hour of a big- headed, fake-tanned, school skirt-wearing singer. Darius is just a pawn in the music industry who believes he is playing the game his way - Kirsty MacLean, by e- mail.

BILLY SLOAN should give Darius a break. He may have been arrogant and cheesy before but he has changed his whole image. Darius is here to stay. - Laura, Ayr.

WHEN Billy reviewed the Pop Idol concert last year he said that we would all have forgotten about Darius within six months. Not for the first time he has been proved wrong. Since then Darius has had three top ten hits and a platinum selling album. - Kirsty Muir, Paisley.

I'VE always viewed Billy Sloan as a champion of Scottish music but I find myself doubting his judgement.

Perhaps the next time Darius tours (and there will be a next time, Billy) it would be better to send a reviewer who is truly objective. - Amanda McKinlay, by e-mail.

DARIUS is the most talented young music artist in the country today. His songs are catchy but very mature lyrically - he brings the English language to life again. - Deborah Pearson, by e- mail.

Darius - Colston Hall – Tuesday 13th May 2003

Tuesday night at the Colston hall and people were literally arriving by the coach load. The gig attracted people of all ages, ranging from the age of five to fifty. All were there to see the phenomenon that is Darius, or, to non-fans, he might be better known as that bloke from ‘Pop Idol’ who just never seemed to give up. And give up he didn’t, he is a true example of perseverance.

With a few hit singles and a top selling album to his name and now appearing in Bristol as part of his ‘In Deep’ nationwide tour, no matter what your views are on processed pop you can’t help admire the guy for getting as far as he’s got.

Despite not winning ‘Popstars’ or ‘Pop Idol’ he has probably been the success story of such programmes and this gig proved why this was the case.

The evening started off with the support band, ‘Peppercorn’. I’m sure they did as well as they could, considering the majority of the audience had come to see one thing, and one thing only. Therefore this band was seen as being nothing but a delay to see the eagerly awaited main attraction. However they did perform what they set out to do and that was ‘warm the crowd up for Darius’ despite this not being by their music but the constant references to Darius to get the crowd screaming. They used this to their advantage when trying to plug their new single by claiming “Darius is a big fan of it”. …. nice try!

A few more people started to fill up the venue including the St. John’s Ambulance crew preparing themselves for any effects that Darius might have on the young swooning girls. Programmes were still trying to be flogged for a tenner, you’d think they’d have trouble shifting them at that price but there was hardly anyone there without one.

Finally the lights went down, the crowd screamed, the stage lighting came on, the crowd screamed some more. This went on for what felt like forever so by this time I was really expecting something good as the build up grew and grew.

Then the curtain went up to reveal his stage set and of course, the man himself, posing for the anticipated overwhelming reaction from the crowd. Right from the onset you could see the great buzz he got out of performing. It was instantly possible to see why he has come this far compared to so called winners of ‘Popstars’. He has such a charisma about him that just belongs on the stage.

When talking of his success there was not the arrogance that might have been conveyed by the Darius we saw on television. In fact, he was nothing but charming and rather endearing for the whole of the evening as he constantly thanked the fans for his success. At one point he claimed his fans were one of the three things that drove his ambitions alongside that of his family, his love of music and desire to contribute to it.

You got the sense that he almost felt embarrassed by his past and previous TV appearances as he termed himself “the prat with the pony tail”. We were shown a completely different side of him, which was much better than I expected from him.

Of course, there were still aspects of the original Darius which showed when he called two audience members up onto the stage to perform a ballad with him. One of which was a little girl who couldn’t have been more than five, who was accompanied by her mother. I personally found it awfully cheesy, however, the crowd lapped it up as they wished it was themselves up there with him.

Despite a few cringe worthy moments he still packed out a fantastic performance. His songs ranged from upbeat pop to ballads as well as doing some good covers, ranging from Tom Jones’ ‘Kiss’ and George Michael’s ‘Faith’.

He showed great versatility and proved to be more than capable of covering more than one style. This was especially prominent during his encore when he did a fantastic performance of ‘I’ve got you under my skin’ and seamlessly followed on to his hit ‘Colourblind’.

The set finished later than scheduled as it appeared Darius just didn’t want to leave the stage. If I’d of fought as hard to get where he is now, no doubt I wouldn’t have wanted to leave hundreds of screaming fans either.

Lara Proctor
May 2003

Darius puts his spell on everyone

Darius: Colston Hall, Bristol 14 May 2003

Pop prince Darius wowed the crowd when he visited Bristol's Colston Hall as part of his nationwide tour.

Tiny tots, gaggles of girls and grown women old enough to be his mum screamed their hearts out when they set eyes on the sky-high Scot.

And it's a good job St John Ambulance personnel were standing by as, every time the huge on-stage fan blew towards Darius and billowed his shirt to reveal a flash of toned physique, weak knees threatened to fell every hysterical one of them.

Since Darius shot to fame starring in ITV star search shows Popstars and Pop Idol, his debut album Dive In has gone platinum and he has notched up a smattering of catchy-as-chickenpox hits.

The snake-hipped Scot famously wiggled his way through a Tom Jones classic on Pop Idol , and there was plenty of rump-shaking action at last night's gig.

But he's not just a pretty face - this man can sing. Darius belted out hits including Rushes, Incredible and Colourblind as well as poignant ballads from his album and covers of songs by Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Prince and - I kid you not - Destiny's Child.

He pulled no less than three girls out of the audience and serenaded them all on the stage, and he halted the whole show to pose for photos with fans and thank the whole audience at length for supporting him when he was - in his own words - a "ponytailed prat".

It was feel-good pop fun all the way, and the audience loved it.

Glancing across the venue, even the dads chaperoning their daughters knew all the words to Colourblind and were singing along swaying with their eyes shut.

Darius didn't say it, but we were all thinking it. There was a lot of love in the room.

Pop star with a long way to go
by Claire Hill, The Western Mail 14 May 2003

BOUNDING around on stage Darius reminds me of someone.

With his gyrating hips and a distinct lack of backbone, could it be Elvis?

Unfortunately not. No, it is more reminiscent of Shakin' Stevens.

The boy just does not pull off the raw sex appeal.

Well known for his ridiculed piece on realityshow Popstars, you would have thought that the young singer would have helped himself to a huge portion of irony. Instead it was second helpings of brie.

Every pop cliche was evident in Saturday's gig; air guitar - interspersed with his real one - singing to a young child from the audience, obligatory hand clapping, praising the audience and jumping off an amp.

And judging by the size of the crowd at Cardiff International Arena, it was clear that despite his platinum album he has not got enough clout to pack out big venues.

But the majority of the audience was excitable and screaming, the exceptions being parents supervising their teenagers and a couple of pouting boyfriends.

The singles Colourblind, Rushes and Incredible stood out as fun pop songs, but the ballads let the Scottish star down.

Singing and playing his guitar live, Darius has a good voice and knows how to whip up a crowd but he has a long way to go to match the legends such as Tom Jones, who he praised.

Though he professes to be a serious artist who writes his own material - and he does - the set was littered with cover versions.

Many of these, Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Tom Jones, George Michael - like his famous Britney impression on Popstars - were performed with feeling but lacked that certain je ne sais quoi.

Some covers, however, were frankly ridiculous.

Darius, with his lack of edge, could never pull off gangsta rap star 50 Cent's In Da Club or Nelly's Hot in Here.

However, it certainly made me chuckle to hear him attempt them.

While the evening was highly entertaining, and full marks for Darius's enthusiasm, he is not quite there yet.

Darius fever hit Bournemouth last night when Scotland's brightest star brought his 'Dive In' tour to the BIC.

Kicking off with album track Sliding Doors, the atmosphere was electric and Darius looked every inch the pop idol with his guitar slung over his back and his dangerously low-cut leather trousers.

Running through some of the songs on his album, his voice was flawless on every one, even the impossibly high notes of Mercury Rising.

Throwing in a few cover songs such as George Michael's Faith and Like I Love You by Justin Timberlake, Darius never failed to get a very appreciative crowd going.

The screams reached fever pitch when he sung his new single Girl In The Moon and pulled one lucky lady up on stage with him.

Another highlight included his rousing rendition of the title track of his debut album Dive In. He finished the sellout show with his number one single Colourblind which was greeted by massived cheers and a rush of fans to the front of the stage.

Darius has come a long way since the days of Popstars and has established himself as a talented singer/songwriter.

He may have started out as a national joke, but his achievements so far have surpassed even his expectations. Unlike many of his pop star rivals, Darius writes all his own songs and he certainly knows how to put on a good show and it's safe to say that this won't be the last Bournemouth sees of Darius Danesh.

Along with several readers of this column, I absolutely loved the gorgeous Darius Danesh at the City Hall on Monday - though I was very relieved not to be the oldest one there.

Whatever the arguments for and against the Pop Star talent trail, there can be no denying that Darius, with his matinee idol looks and winning smile, deserves to be up there making a name for himself.

He writes his own songs, has huge cheesy charm and can entertain in the best sense of the word. And it wasn't just we women who were won over. We counted 42 men in the audience before it started.

It would have been nice to think that the Pop Idol judge from help, Simon Cowell, currently slamming the contestants in his own inimitable style in the final stages of American Pop Idol, would be even now eating humble pie after the part he played in the public humiliation of the double D. News has reached me that he's been offered a cartoon role in The Simpsons and is to produce a US dating game show called Cupid.

That should be fun … I don't think.

I'M in a minority of one... the only person in the 2500-strong audience who's not been zapped by the Darius magic.

I've never made any secret of my views on the Scots pop star. I think he's a small slice of talent stretched thinly over a 6ft 4in frame.

But - hand on heart - I went to this gig with an open mind to give an objective opinion.

This was one of the worst pop gigs it's ever been my misfortune to sit through.

Whatever else Darius is, the 22-year-old university-educated singer is no idiot. He knows all the right things to say and shapes to throw. But no amount of posing or cheesy shouts of "Glasgow... join me in this great feeling" compensate for poor songs.

Darius claims he's been writing songs since he was 16. So you'd have to judge him alongside fellow Scots Fran Healy and Roddy Frame.

But songs such as Sliding Doors, Better Than That or Simple Like The Truth are lukewarm by comparison to hits by Travis or Aztec Camera.

As a singer, Darius also fails to inspire. He's got a very ordinary voice. Piano- vocal Got To Know Tonight was a chance to shine. He failed miserably.

After Pop Idol, Darius snubbed Simon Cowell's approaches because he didn't want to be a covers act.

Why then were we back in karaoke hell with limp versions of George Michael's Faith and Prince's Kiss? The quality level irreparably dipped during I've Got You Under My Skin.

The mirror ball effects - and Darius' trendy black kilt - could not distract from an awful version of this classic which would have had Cole Porter spinning in his grave.

I didn't stay to hear the closing number, his No1 hit, Colourblind. I couldn't take any more. Instead, I went to King Tut's to watch Skin slay an audience with a voice full of passion and power. Both ingredients Darius sadly lacks.

If you've never heard of Skin that's the crux of my argument. Her career was not launched by a television show beamed into seven million homes for 13 weeks. But she can sing Mr Danesh off the park.

I hope Darius lives out all his pop star fantasies. For when all this comes crumbling down they will be his memories of life in the fast lane. Not one of his songs will last the test of time. They're simply not good enough.

Darius on Tour

It takes a certain kind of pushy and insane idiot to suceed in the way of the pop idol, but if there was ever an idiot just pushy and insane enough to have deserved to make it all the way, it's Darius Danesh.

Having lasted longer than Hear'Say in the public imagination, his is a story of uniquely plucky rubbishness winning out, something that his early courageous resemblance to the footballer David Seaman could only really begin to hint at. Armed only with his brass neck, he has proceeded to face down the mighty Simon Cowell and basically carve a niche for himself in music. Only fleetingly, perhaps, but with some qualified success and a creditable lack of shame.

An hour before the concert started I accidentally dropped my tickets to see Darius.

A girl walking past threw a disdainful look at them as they lay on the floor and said: "Are they yours, because there's no way they're mine." Ashamed, I quickly gathered them up, tucked them away and sidled into the Royal Concert Hall.

But once inside I melted into a large crowd of young teenagers and an extraordinarily large number of middle-aged women, who were anything but embarrassed to be witnessing their hero on stage.

Darius was everything you would expect and a lot more. For those of you who think he's cheesy, you're right. There's no doubt about it, some parts of the Dive In tour are cringe-worthy.

Thankfully there is no mention of 'love in this room' but there was an incredible about of gushing praise for the fans.

There was a lot of Elvis-style gyrating and an off-stage gust of wind that seemed to focus on Darius' shirt and nothing else. Strange that.

But aside from all that there was the music - and the music really was great.

Darius may have lost his horrendous ponytail, but he has transformed himself into a mesmerising performer, with a cover of George Michael's Faith stunning his already adoring audience.

But predictably, the highlight of the night was as, with his trademark upside down guitar hanging from his back, Darius' established hits, Rushes, Incredible and Colourblind.

His voice is captivating and some of his songs are touchingly original, but Darius still seems to be trying too hard to be an amalgamation of some of his pop heroes.

Darius *****
Playhouse

SIMON COWELL would have had to slink away with his tail between his legs.

The man who he once wrote off as "not good enough", performed last night to a sold-out Playhouse, inspiring applause and screams that almost raised the roof.

Darius has come a long way since the days when he walked Edinburgh’s streets as a lowly university student, and no-one recognises this more than himself.

Speaking about his Pop Stars days last night, he quickly admitted: "I was bit of a pony-tailed prat," and there would be few who could disagree, even amongst the adoring fans he was addressing.

Who could forget his, ahem, "unique" take on Britney Spears’ Hit Me Baby, or that meticulously-shaped goatee?

But a good barber, one Pop Idol programme and a record deal with Mercury later, and Darius is all grown up, and has managed to garner a respect that Will and Gareth are sorely lacking.

Even before Darius came anywhere near the stage, the atmosphere in the auditorium was relaxed and laidback - especially for a group that largely consisted of young teenage girls clutching soft toys, flowers and banners in their hands.

Support band Peppercorn were warmly received, and set the tone for the evening, with their acoustic soft rock gently hyping the crowd up. Such a peaceful intro made Darius’ exuberant opening all the more dramatic.

Not since Elvis have we seen so much grand standing and knee swivelling. From the first second he appeared, posing on a raised podium centre stage, Darius strutted his stuff to the max. He is over the top, insanely cheerful and very, very good at what he does.

Enduring not one, but two reality music shows obviously teaches you a few tricks, and Darius worked the room like a seasoned pro.

He blew kisses, ordered the audience to get on their feet and shook his hips with wild abandon, pausing several times to hug the fans crowding the front of the auditorium. One young lady even found herself up on stage, being held by Darius as he crooned his ballad Girl in the Moon to her.

The set list was fairly predictable, including all the tracks from his debut album Dive In, a mix of tempos and moods, but all belonging to that bouncy, foot-tapping pop that he does so well.

He saved the most popular single, Colourblind, until the very end of his encore, when he was still bouncing around the stage with seemingly endless energy.

There were also a few extras - covers of Sinatra’s Under My Skin and Destiny Child’s Bootilicious - while the band even played an instrumental version of the aforementioned Britney hit during a short break halfway through. Darius may not be a lyrical or melodic genius, but he can put a good tune together and even (gasp) knows more than just how to strum a guitar.

His voice sounds even smoother live and any doubts that he can actually hold a note will be put to rest by this tour.

Darius was also careful to ensure that his band received their fair share of the limelight, and they all seemed to be having a great time .

He appeared in a succession of tight clothing, culminating in a leather kilt that caused mass swooning, and a middle-aged woman seated next to me to solemnly declare: "He’s got IT!"

As much as you may despair of his boy band antics and cringe-worthy showmanship, you can't help but enjoy the spectacle.

Darius may be cheesy as month-old Stilton, but he’s so sincere with it that he eventually wins you over.

"Caught Live - Darius Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow"

Scots singer Darius has tried being Britney on tv and now it seems he wants to be Justin Timberlake on stage.

His cringeworthy covers of the former *N Sync singer's "Like I Love You", Nelly's "Hot In Here" and Prince's "Kiss" were laughable but his screaming teenage fans loved every minute. And the cheeky Pop Idol loser entertained his adoring female supporters with a fine performance of his own material - proving that being Darius is what he does best.