"It was a massive stepping stone for us," say Concept of X Factor experience

The boyband, made up of Ben Selley, Matt Goodenough, Scott Dicks and Karim Newton, all from Tadley, and Nathan Gittens from Basingstoke, made it through to the judges houses round of the singing competition - aired on ITV last weekend.
They were whisked away with five other groups to mentor Louis Walsh’s Bermuda getaway, where they had to sing for their place in the next round in front of Louis and guest judge Tulisa Contostavlos.
It was there, however, that their X Factor dream came to an end when Louis chose not to take them through to the live shows, which begin this weekend.
They spoke to Newbury Weekly News reporter Ellis Barker this week to tell of the experience.
“It was a crazy,” said Matt. “We just couldn't believe we were there. It was hard to grasp that us normal boys were being flown out there to do what we love.
“We were very fortunate to have the experience and even though we didn't progress further, I'm so proud of what we accomplished. We all are.”
Soonafter the news broke, the band was flooded with messages from their fans on social media, expressing their shock and disappointment, and also words of encouragement that they were sure it was not the last they would be seeing of the group.
The hashtag #ConceptWillNotStop went on to trend worldwide on Twitter last Friday night, after the programme was aired, meaning it one of the most talked about topics on the social media platform that night.
Describing the experience, Karim said: “It was a surreal experience, but also an incredible one.
“Your emotions are thrown all over the place constantly.
“It was a massive stepping stone for us. So many people have seen who Concept are. So many more opportunities will come from it, so we're very happy.
“We made sure we enjoyed every stage as it happened because the more we focused on how intense it is, the harder it became to relax.”
Most importantly, the boys from Concept promised that this may have been the end of their X Factor journey, but it certainly wasn’t the last we would see of them.
“We're going to focus on getting our music together so we can give people some fresh material,” said Ben. “A lot of practising and gigging. Maybe a few tours here and there but that's all getting worked on. Top secret information.
“We're basically giving our fans more of everything. It's going to be a busy year, and we can't wait.”
To conclude, Scott sent the following message to the group’s fans:”We love you all very much, thank you for all your nonstop support.
“You inspire us to keep pushing forward, we wouldn't be here without you. #ConceptWillNotStop”