By his own admission James Arthur has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride since appearing on the X-Factor in 2012. He won the competition of course and has gone on to be one of the most successful male winners of the show.

During the set tonight he explains that despite his success he had considered quitting the music business as things went downhill for him but had come out the other side. Based on the strength of tonight's performance on his Back From The Edge tour and a number one album of the same name, he made the right decision.

The O2 was sold out well in advance of the gig and was already packed with a youngish crowd by the time I arrived. Casually dressed James took to the stage to a chorus of cheers and launched straight into the opening number quickly followed by an excellent version of Your Nobody 'til Somebody Lives You.

As expected the set relied heavily on his two albums and showed him to be a versatile and engaging performer who interacts with the crowd between songs lending a feeling of intimacy to the gig. His four-piece band are right with him every beat of the way and provide the perfect accompaniment to his ever maturing vocals.

The main set was a decent one and a quarter hours with another fifteen minutes added by the encore so not a bad length in all. James has shown that he has certainly returned from the edge and on this showing has everything it takes to go as far as he wants.