The X Factor: week 2 auditions, Sunday, review This was the second week of the karaoke contest's new-look format, with intimate audition rooms on the Saturday, followed by the arena phase on the Sunday. The idea is that we invest in the mini narratives enough to follow the hopefuls" journey over the course of a weekend. However, producers have been too cute with the editing, meaning some acts went mysteriously missing last Sunday and popped up tonight instead. This set of Wembley auditions, though, was overwhelming upbeat, with eight of the ten featured acts going through. This included two who'd seemed to blow their chance. Harlequin-haired Brummie hotel maid Relley C made a bad song choice of Blind Faith by Chase & Status but despite her off-key shouting, was sent to Boot Camp because of her "potential." The other main annoyance was the opening montage of the wannabes doing their day jobs, before complaining that they couldn't possibly bear to go back to them. "No more hotel housekeeping for you," the judges promised Relley C, even though they can guarantee nothing of the sort. With 2.5m Brits unemployed, such sneering at "normal" jobs displays a jarring sense of entitlement. Three young male soloists were waved through: bird's nest-haired busker Luke Friend, bland Tom Mann and yodelling Barclay Beales, who surely belongs on Britain's Got Talent. It wasn't good news for girlbands as the weedy Dolly Rockers and excruciating Euphoria Girls went home with tear-streaked mascara. Instead, it was the solo females who stole the show. Van-driving diva Shelley Smith belted out a big-lunged Feeling Good, while fourth-time trier Melanie McCabe nearly reduced Louis Walsh to tears again with her understated take on David Guetta's Titanium. "It's not just because she's from Dublin!" he squawked unconvincingly . The inevitable emotional climax was provided by likeably geeky Abi Alton, the checkout girl from the Middlesbrough branch of Morrison's. Dressed as a sort of hippy-dippy bridesmaid, she bravely opted to sing her own composition, the sweetly folky Jigsaw. Cue soppy grins, group hugs and grateful tears. It was masterful manipulation but sometimes, on an autumnal Sunday evening, that's all we want.