Page 14 - Phonebox Magazine April 2016

The Buzz
Mon Amie: What The X Factor is Really Like and Plans For the Future!
Mon Amie, consisting of Honey, Izzy, Monifa and Abi, had a kick-start to their music careers on the 2015 series of The X Factor, having got through not only the auditions but also boot camp and the judges’ houses! Monifa explains,
“when we went into The X Factor we had only been together for a couple of days so we were still trying to get to know each other and everything was very new to us. Now that we have been on tour with each other, living in each other’s pockets, we know exactly how we all work and what winds each other up! It has been a great experience so far, and we are loving every second. We wouldn’t want to do this with anybody else! We get on so well.”
“It was the scariest experience of our life!”
So what is The X Factor really like for hopefuls auditioning? Abi says, “it was the scariest experience of our life! But thankfully we had each other to go on stage with and we weren’t alone! I would never do it alone!
“It was very interesting to see how the production was put together off screen. We are avid fans of the show, and wish we had been given more airtime as we had quite a bit of banter with the judges on stage. Boot camp was literally like the Big Brother house... You were watched every second of the day!”
Having only formed their group shortly before auditioning for The X Factor, did the show help the girls learn about their strengths and flaws? Honey says, “Yes! It made us realize how difficult it is to speak about the band when you’re under pressure.” Izzy adds, “...and wow – Simon Cowell is so intimidating! But he is lovely too.”
“Northampton was the most lively crowd we have had since the beginning of the tour.”
The girl group recently performed at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate. Honey explains: “We got to the theatre and we were shown
to our dressing rooms – which were orange – and we had a great sound-check on stage. It is an absolutely beautiful venue, and we were really pleased with our performance, as the crowd were so lovely to us.” Where is Mon Amie’s favourite venue to perform? Izzy says, “Northampton was the most lively crowd we have had since the beginning of the tour. Northampton was the first time we have finished our performance and been absolutely buzzing to get to the next venue and do it all again!”
So what does the future hold for the girl group? “Hopefully in the future we will be able to release an original song we are currently performing on tour. The song is called ‘Got Me Looking’ and is about when a relationship changes and the person you care about stops noticing you. We think it’s a great track, and we had so much fun writing it! We also hope to, one day, do our own tour with our very own support.”
If you missed their performance at Royal & Derngate, you can catch the girls in concert in Southampton on 7th May, Guildford on 10th May, Birmingham on 11th May, and in Hull on 18th May.
Entertainment Listings
The Galleons, The Stables, Sat 2
The Pad Presents: Tellison, Bedford Esquires, Sat 2
Stuart Goldsmith: An Hour, The Stables, Sun 3
Limb, Craufurd Arms, Sun 3
Sax Appeal, The Stables, Sun 3
Hairspray the Musical, MK Theatre, Mon 4 – Sat 9
Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Royal & Derngate, Mon 4 – Sat 9 Philharmonia Orchestra, Bedford Corn Exchange, Fri 8
Counterfeit Stones, The Stables, Sat 9
FISH – Farewell To Childhood, Aylesbury Waterside, Mon 11
Solid Silver ‘60s, Royal & Derngate, Mon 11
Pasha Kovalev: It’s All About You, Royal & Derngate, Wed 13
The Bodyguard, MK Theatre, Tue 12 – Sat 23
The Bluetones, The Craufurd Arms, Thu 14
Mark Steel, The Stables, Thu 14
Feast of Fiddles, The Stables, Fri 15
The Pad Presents: The Spitfires + Guests, Bedford Esquires, Sat 16 The Bodyguard Backstage Tour, MK Theatre, Sat 16
Woburn Sands Band, The Stables, Sat 16
Patent Pending, Craufurd Arms, Sat 16
The Rocky Horror Show, Aylesbury Waterside, Mon 18 – Sat 23 Screaming Blue Murder Comedy Club, Royal & Derngate, Fri 22 That’ll Be The Day, Royal & Derngate, Fri 22
Roxy Magic, The Stables, Fri 22
The Knights of Music hosted by Phillip Schofield,
Royal & Derngate, Sat 23
The Bon Jovi Experience, The Stables, Sat 23
Casa Margarita, The Stables, Sat 23
Ruby Turner, The Stables, Sun 24
Bellowhead: The Farewell Tour, Royal & Derngate, Tue 26 Bridget Christie, The Stables, Tue 26
Northern Ballet: Swan Lake, MK Theatre, Tue 26 – Sat 30
We’ll Meet Again, Royal & Derngate, Wed 27
E S T R O N S, Bedford Esquires, Thu 28
Northern Ballet: Tortoise & The Hare, MK Theatre, Fri 29
A Vision of Elvis, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Sat 30
Three Trapped Tigers, Craufurd Arms, Sat 30
Julian Clary, Royal & Derngate, Sat 30
14 Phonebox Magazine | April 2016