Last year, Popstars winners Hear'Say announced their split after months of Press criticism, petty squabbles and public disinterest.

Increasingly bland songs and overly-desperate smiles were the nail in the coffin of their career which started only a year-and-a-half earlier with their Number One Pure And Simple.

Last month, Girls Aloud, the winners of ITV's follow-up Pop Idol, and runners-up One True Voice cancelled their joint UK tour due to "poor ticket sales".

The manufactured-pop bubble seemed to have burst. But, somehow, Liberty X managed to survive the musical crash and actually emerge with more credibility.

In fact, it's easy to forget they grew out of Popstars at all. After losing to Hear'Say, Liberty X subtly marketed themselves as the underdog and as the Popstars winners ran out of steam, they jumped in and picked up the pace.

Learning from Hear'Say's mistakes, Jessica, Kevin, Michelle, Kelli and Tony avoided cheesy grins and clean-cut images, opting for a sexier style instead.

Sassy pop hits such as Thinking It Over, Doin' It and Just A Little won them a huge teen audience and slightly reluctant respect from the music Press.

Their current tour though signals a shift in focus with the famous five noticeably targeting a more mature, clubby audience.

Their latest single Be Nobody is a clever mix of Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody and Human League's Being Boiled and their new track Jumpin' is fuelled by a blaze of thrashing beats.

Performing to a sell-out audience (eat your heart out Girls Aloud), Liberty X have strong voices, impressive but not overly-polished dance routines and genuine warmth towards their fans.

Hanna MacDonald from Bognor was invited on stage to sing with the group - much to her screaming delight - and there was plenty of friendly banter between songs.

Leather hipsters, posh frocks, orange boiler suits and cane dancing gave their lengthy live show some edge but it did flag slightly in the middle.

Liberty X saved their biggest hit, Just A Little, until their second encore, which was a little hard on younger fans, who watched through droopy eyelids, but incredible for everyone else who left the Brighton Centre on an absolute high.