THE first winner of the X Factor, Steve Brookstein, is bringing his own band, The Terrells, to Swindon.

Steve will be performing at a soul jazz evening organised by Princess Jackson at The Royal Oak Jazz Club in Old Town on June 12.

Londoner Steve was no stranger to talent shows when he entered the famous TV competition, as he had already won through to the finals of The Big Big Talent Show, which was hosted by Jonathan Ross on ITV.

The singer auditioned for the X Factor in the very first series in 2004 and, following a second audition, went through to the live shows, which are voted for by the public.

He was mentored by Simon Cowell in the Over 25s category, and at the grand final on December 11 he beat G4 into first place.

He pulled in six million votes from the public, which was only topped by Joe McElderry in series six with 6.1 million public votes.

The singer signed to Sony BMG and released his first single, a cover of Phil Collins Against All Odds, which went to number one on January 2, 2005.

He joined the X Factor Live Tour in 2005 and in the May released his debut album, Heart and Soul, again through Sony.

He was dropped by Simon Cowell and the record label only eight months later due to creative differences.

His autobiography Getting Over The X, published by Matador, reached number one in the Kindle Biography Charts.

Steve has duetted with names such as BeBe Winans, Maxi Priest, Ian Shaw and Liane Carroll.

His seasoned musicians in The Terrells are Luca Boscagin on guitar, Tom Clarke-Hill on bass and Nick Millward on drums. They have also worked with respected names in the business including Mica Paris, Soul 11 Soul, Heatwave, Shalamar, Massive Attack and Jocelyn Brown.

Steve released his second album 40,000 Things in 2006 and Forgotten Man in 2014. He is currently working on his fourth album.

He has also trod the boards in musical theatre playing the father in the touring production of award winning musical Our House in 2008.

Princess Jackson said: “Steve will be playing soul classics from artists such as Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. It’s free entry to the concert, all stage side seats are already reserved but there is plenty of standing room for those who get there early! ‘’

For more details of Steve and The Terrells visit http://www.londonsoulandjazz.co.uk/steve-brookstein/ - Flicky Harrison