WIN: Pair of JLS tickets for the Regent

THE are the hottest tickets in town and we have a pair to give away.

By Wayne Savage

Entertainments writer

wayne.savage@eveningstar.co.uk

With pictures in features, needs exclusive tag>

IPSWICH: They are the hottest tickets in town and we have a pair to give away.

JLS are the most successful group to come out of the Simon Cowell star-making machine that is The X Factor.

Orits�, JB, Aston and Marvin may not have won the hit ITV1 show but they have won a legion of fans and won over the music industry, which always views TV talent show contestants with a suspicious eye.

Beat Again was the fastest selling debut of 2009, earning the super boyband two top Mobo nominations - for best newcomer and best single.

They have also been nominated for best band; best breakthrough act and best single for Beat Again at this year's Brit Awards and will perform on the night.

It is no surprise the foursome's gig at the 1,535-seater Ipswich Regent this coming Monday is a sell-out.

“The show sold out in about three hours, we could've sold it twice over,” said manager David Mansfield.

“They are flying high and have a really strong fan base. They look set to be around for some time to come and hopefully we'll be seeing them back in Ipswich. The theatre is going to come alive on Monday.”

While JLS - which stands for Jack the Lad Swing, a mix of their onstage persona and the US music genre New Jack Swing of which they are fans - are best known thanks to The X Factor, they were unsure about entering.

Given their success since finishing as runners up to Alexandra Burke, their change of heart may have been the best decision they ever made.

“That sort of thing opens up so many doors. Without that platform it would've taken us much longer to get to where we are now,” added Marvin.

JLS formed two summers ago when Orits� set out to create the ultimate supergroup by merging the best bits of the greatest boybands of all time.

After scouring the guitar shops of London's West End, the University of North London campus and MySpace, the future chart-toppers came together and just clicked.

If the chart-topping success of Beat Again wasn't enough to cement their place as the nation's favourite boyband, their second single Everybody In Love also hit number one and their videos were rarely off music channels.

Since their self-titled album was released two months ago they have sold more than 1,000,000 copies, with the album already certified triple platinum.

Not only did they become one of the breakthrough success stories of last year, they also count celebrities such as Beyonce and Rihanna among their fans.

Together with Momentum PR, The Evening Star has two tickets to Monday's performance to giveaway. To win, simply tell us the name of JLS' debut single.

Write your answer, along with your name, address and a 24-hour contact telephone number on a postcard and bring it into our offices at 30 Lower Brook Street.

n JLS are at the Ipswich Regent on Monday and their new single, One Shot, written and produced by hitmakers Soulshock and Karlin, is released on February 22 through Epic Records.

N For an interview with the band and more pictures don't miss Friday's Evening Star

n www.jlsofficial.com