Footage of JLS’ Aston Merrygold has gone viral after the singer failed to complete a backflip during one of their live shows.
The moment happened on Saturday night (November 11) as the band played the final date of their 2023 reunion tour with a stop in Sheffield.
At one point in the show, the singer went to perform a backflip off a ledge on the stage, as the other three members continued singing. However, the moment soon turned into a mishap, as the trick – which he performed regularly during his time on X Factor – didn’t quite go to plan, and led to him landing on his back.
In fan-captured clips of the moment, bandmate Oritsé Williams is seen turning to check on Merrygold, and the singer quickly jumped to his feet to resume the performance.
Despite bringing out special guests including Tinchy Stryder during the tour, it was the moment of Merrygold’s failed backflip that gathered the most attention online, with footage of the mishap going viral.
the gasp i let out, but regardless i hope you’re okay @astonmerrygold #jls #jlssheffield #jlstour #astonmerrygold
According to one TikTok user who attended the gig, the singer “continued with the show effortlessly after this accident” and even “managed to get up and do another few more backflips after that!” (via The Independent).
In a statement to Metro, Merrygold’s rep said that “he seems fine” after the fall, but is “going to get checked over” to be on the safe side.
Similarly, after seeing the clip spreading across social media, Merrygold shared a lighthearted response video on his Instagram account, which saw him lip-syncing to a scene taken from the 2015 film about the Kray twins, Legend.
“When you see him next, you tell him I say: ‘Fuck Charlie. Fuck his brother… and fuck the lot of yas,’” he jokingly mouthed along to the audio, filming himself reclining on a sofa.
JLS confirmed that they would be reuniting for a huge tour of the UK and Ireland back in February, and the live shows saw them bring out guest appearances from artists such as fellow X Factor alumni Olly Murs.
The band first rose to fame in the singing competition back in 2008, when they appeared on the show and came in second place to Alexandra Burke.
The post Watch JLS’ Aston Merrygold’s viral failed backflip at show appeared first on NME.
