A BASINGSTOKE boy band who sang their way to the Judges Houses stage of the X Factor have not made it through to the live shows.

Concept impressed judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh with their initial audition and wowed crowds at Wembley Arena during the live audition stage of the singing contest.

But the band, made up of Karim Newton, Matt Goodenough, Scott Dicks, Nathan Gittens and Ben Selley, who is the cousin of One Direction’s Harry Styles, have not progressed to the final stage.

The former Queen Mary’s College students, who are all childhood friends, formed three-and-a-half-years ago and have since built up a loyal fan-base, with 107,000 plus followers on Twitter.

Louis Walsh, who made the final decision about which groups made it to the live shows told the group: "I love the fact you've been friends for years.

"We love your work ethic. At boot camp you really came in to your own.

"The problem is, yesterday we didn't see that spark."

Concept have tonight been sending messages of thanks to their fans via their twitter account, using the hashtag #conceptwillnotstop.

For a full report see The Gazette next Thursday.