GEORDIE Joe McElderry, winner of the 2009 series of The X Factor at the age of only 18, is in York tonight as part of his Evolution concert tour.

He plays York Barbican at 7.30pm in a live and unplugged solo show where he parades his talent for pop and opera alike (after winning ITV’s Pop Star To Opera Star en route to yet another reality show triumph in Channel 4’s The Jump).

"I was originally going to do the Evolution tour only from February to July and then do The Who's Tommy at Blackpool Opera House through the summer, but now we've added another leg, which started last Thursday and goes through to November 16."

Joe had a ball playing Tommy, that deaf, dumb and played kid, who sure plays a mean pinball. "I did a concert version in London in 2012 but that was only for one night at the Prince Edward Theatre, but this summer I did the musical for three weeks and it was very different," he says. "For the first half, you play this blind boy but then he turns into this larger-than-life angry teenager. I got some fantastic reviews, which I'm thrilled about."

Joe had to follow in the footsteps of Roger Daltrey, The Who frontman forever associated with Tommy in Ken Russell's 1975 film of Pete Townshend's rock opera. "It was quite an intimidating prospect, as musically Roger and I are very different. I'm under no illusion about that! He's a huge, legendary rock god and I'm a pop star, but it was great to have fans of The Who coming up to say how much they liked the show."

Just as he did in The X Factor, Pop Star To Opera Star and The Jump, Joe threw himself into playing Tommy. "One hundred per cent! I love a challenge and I enjoy pressure but I think I freaked myself out about doing it! Then I loved it! There are a few talks going on at the moment about doing it again, with the producers looking at other options for the show," he says.

Joe's attention has now returned to Evolution. "We're visiting entirely different places from the first tour, so I'm fortunate that I can keep the show the same, but the only reason to change would have been if I was bored with it and I'm definitely not bored by it at all yet," he says.

"I've put together a show doing songs that people wanted me to do. I always meet fans at the stage door when they say 'I'd wish you'd sing that one' and a lot of them wanted to hear the same things."

Joe chooses his musicians and is heavily involved in the song arrangements too, in tandem with his musical director. "All you're wanting is for people to say they've had a great time, a really good night, as they leave. The show's entertaining; it's supposed to be fun!" he says.

York Press:

Joe McElderry as Joseph, heading for York's Grand Opera House next spring

"I try and give them everything they want, catering for everybody, so if you come for a dance and the singles, there's a huge section for that; a big section for ballads; a section for classical songs. I love the classical and the pop as much as each other."

Joe, who completed his training on Newcastle College's performing arts course after breaking off to do The X Factor, is soon to jump into a new challenge. "I'm doing Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat next year in Bill Kenwright's tour from February to June. That'll be the first time I've played Joseph," says Joe, who will play both York and Leeds dates.

Anything else in your diary, Joe? "I'm working on my new album [his fifth], doing a bit here and there when I can, but it's likely it won't be out until some time next year," he says.

Joe McElderry's Evolution tour visits York Barbican tonight at 7.30pm; box office, 0844 854 2757, at yorkbarbican.co.uk or on the door from 5pm. Joe will appear in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Grand Opera House, York, from April 26 to 30 next year, preceded by Leeds Grand Theatre, March 22 to 26; York box office, 0844 871 3024 or atgtickets.com/york; Leeds, 0844 848 2700 or leedsgrandtheatre.com