Stereo Kicks
| Company type | Boy band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Louis Walsh (mentor) |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom/Ireland |
| Products | Music singles |
Stereo Kicks was a British-Irish boy band assembled during the eleventh season of The X Factor in 2014, ultimately placing as the twelfth act to leave the competition. The lineup included James Graham, Jake Sims, Chris Leonard, Charlie Jones, Casey Johnson, Barclay Beales, Reece Bibby, and Tom Mann. Their inaugural single, "Love Me So", launched on 21 June 2015, peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. Despite this achievement, the group parted ways within a year due to an inability to secure a recording contract.
2014: Formation and Participation on The X Factor
Each of the eight members initially auditioned independently for the eleventh series of The X Factor, but none progressed beyond bootcamp as solo performers. The judges decided to create a group from these individual contestants, recognizing their collective promise. Their debut performance as a band was a rendition of Snow Patrol's "Run," which received a standing ovation from all judges; Simon Cowell praised them as one of the most impressive boy bands featured on the show. Under the mentorship of Louis Walsh, they advanced to the live shows after delivering Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" during judges' houses.
The band's name was chosen from over 46,000 fan submissions; initially dubbed the "New Boy Band," they eventually adopted "Stereo Kicks" following a public vote. Their "Run" performance quickly gained popularity, amassing more than one million views on The X Factor's official YouTube channel within seven days.
During the live stages, Stereo Kicks performed Katy Perry's "Roar" in the first week. They found themselves in sing-off situations during weeks two and four but were saved either by judges’ decisions or public votes. Despite some internal challenges—Louis Walsh voiced concerns about managing eight members and suggested possible lineup changes—Simon Cowell supported the group and even offered to take over their mentorship. After other contestants were eliminated, Stereo Kicks remained Walsh’s final act before being voted out in the quarter-final after a deadlock against Lauren Platt.
Following their exit, Walsh commented that he had anticipated them lasting an additional two weeks but stated he could not continue managing them due to prior commitments with James Grant Management that were established before the live shows began.
Performances throughout the competition
| The X Factor performances and outcomes (2014) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | Song | Theme | Outcome |
| Six-chair challenge (bootcamp) | "Run" | Free choice | Advanced to judges' houses |
| Judges' houses | "Mirrors" | Free choice | Advanced to live shows |
| Live week 1 | "Roar" | Number ones | Safe (11th place) |
| Live week 2 | "The Boys of Summer" | 80's night | Bottom three (12th place) |
| "I'll Stand by You" | Free choice | Safe (3/4 majority vote) | |
| Live week 3 | "Let It Be" / "Hey Jude" | Saturday night at the movies | Safe (6th place) |
| Live week 4 | "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" | Fright Night (Halloween) | Bottom two (9th place) |
| "Perfect" | Free choice | Safe (Deadlock) | |
| Live week 5 | "You Are Not Alone" | Michael Jackson vs. Queen | Safe (4th place) |
| Live week 6 | "Mack the Knife" | Big band | Safe (5th place) |
| Live week 7 | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Whitney Houston vs. Elton John | Safe (4th place) |
| Quarter-Final | "Just the Way You Are" | Song chosen by Tulisa | Bottom two (5th place) |
| "Run" | Song chosen by the public | ||
| "I Won't Give Up" | Free choice | Eliminated (5th place) | |
2015: First single and disbandment
On 20 April 2015, Stereo Kicks revealed their debut single titled Love Me So, which was released on 21 June 2015. The song reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart and was the highest-selling physical single that week. Additionally, it attained a peak position of number 80 on Ireland's IRMA Charts.
After nearly a year together, the group announced their breakup on 18 July 2015, attributing this decision to their inability to secure a major record label contract. Their final appearance took place the following week as the headlining act at Thorpe Park's Island Beats event.
Barclay Beales
Barclay Beales (born 27 August 1995) hails from Devon. He initially auditioned for the tenth season of The X Factor in 2013 but was eliminated during Bootcamp by Louis Walsh. He returned for the eleventh series, delivering performances of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" and Robbie Williams's "Angels" in the audition rounds.
Chris Leonard
Chris Leonard (born 3 September 1995) originates from County Meath, Ireland. He first appeared in the tenth series of The X Factor as part of the boyband Out of the Blue, which was eliminated at Bootcamp by Gary Barlow. Leonard later returned as a solo contestant for series eleven, although none of his audition footage was aired.
Tom Mann
Tom Mann (born 3 November 1993) is a football coach based in Southampton. Similar to Beales, he auditioned for series ten of The X Factor but was cut during Bootcamp by Louis Walsh. Mann reappeared for series eleven, initially performing an original song before being interrupted by Simon Cowell. After encouragement from Walsh and Cheryl, Cowell granted him another chance. Mann then sang an acoustic rendition of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way", earning three affirmative votes. He was the eldest member of the group and has since pursued songwriting and production roles for other artists.
James Graham
James Graham (born 12 October 1996) comes from Essex. For his Room Audition, he sang James Morrison's "You Give Me Something", receiving notable acclaim. At the Arena stage, he delivered a soulful interpretation of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me", with Mel B praising his performance as "soulful and sexy.” Graham later won the second season of The Four: Battle for Stardom and earned a recording deal with Republic Records.
Reece Bibby
Reece Bibby (born 13 August 1998) is from Accrington. He impressed judges with an acoustic cover of Disclosure's "Latch" during his audition. Bibby became part of New Hope Club, signed under Steady Records/Hollywood Records, and achieved global recognition.
Jake Sims
Jake Sims (born 26 November 1994) is based in Bristol. His audition featured Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", followed by a performance of Arctic Monkeys' "When the Sun Goes Down" at the Arena stage. Following the band's dissolution, Sims signed with NusicMusic to focus on his solo career.
Casey Johnson
Casey Johnson (born 1 May 1995) hails from London. During his audition, he performed "Please Don't Let Me Go" by Olly Murs. In May 2016, Johnson became a member of the group Union J, departing in April 2017. Additionally, he featured in the E4 television series Stage School.
Charlie Jones
Charlie Jones (born 20 December 1999) originates from Kent. For his audition, he chose to sing "Little Things" by One Direction, and later performed the Spice Girls' hit "Wannabe" at the Arena stage. Recognized for his viral YouTube track "Belieber for Life," Jones was the youngest in the band and was part of the five-member group Over Atlantic, active between 2016 and 2018.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRE | ||
| 2015 | "Love Me So" | 31 | 80 |