HE has set his sights on winning the ITV contest with his band Stereo Kicks and now Tom Mann says he is working hard to win the life-changing recording contract.

“It’s really good. We are still loving it,” he said, despite some ‘inconsistencies’ in their weekly ranking.

“Based on our performances it seems people don’t like us doing the up-tempo songs so I think it helps that we’ve found our strongest option is the ballads.

“Last week wholly for sentimental reasons we chose the song we auditioned with as it got us to where we are now. But it was big band week and our vision of how it should be didn’t pan out when we got to the soundcheck last Friday. We thought if we do this we are going home! It was extremely stressful and we just had to get on with it. There were only two of us that knew the new song Mack The Knife and we had just 24 hours to learn it!

“This week we are feeling really good. We are playing to our strengths and are building on them. We are singing something simple that we hope will be effective. It’s the most prepared we have been. By Monday and Tuesday we were well ahead of the game.”

Tom agreed that living each week knowing they are taking one step closer to huge fame and success – or one step closer to going home – is a weird feeling.

“It’s just really scary. It’s just weird to think you could just go back to normal life. Obviously whatever happens, it will not be normal for a period of time. I can’t imagine going home. Our first target was making it to the X Factor Live Tour and have some work from that after the show. But we feel we can build on that and are confident we can make a career of this.”

Asked about the highlights of the competition so far, Tom said meeting Olly Murs last week and going to the world premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

“It was our first time on the red carpet. I never imagined I’d have a chance to do that! It was all over in a flash. We had ten or 15 minutes of absolute madness but it was all over so quickly.”

The band hasn’t been ‘mobbed’ by fans as yet but Tom says: “The security around us is very tight. There are always lots of girls outside the studio when we come in. It’s crazy!”

So is he prepared for it all snowballing and the band becoming ‘the next big thing’ following in the steps of One Direction?

“Yes, all of us are prepared for this. This is what we want and we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want that. There are all those people who have been voting for us and of course we are happy to be able to give something back to them.”

Sundays are a weekly highlight – but also particularly stressful.

“Sunday is always a highlight as we meet some of the biggest stars in the business. Olly Murs last Sunday was great. He knew all of us by name as he’s been watching the show, and he was very supportive as he’s been through all of this himself. We watched his rehearsal and he was a true professional. That’s the only good thing about Sundays but there is usually a horrible tension throughout the venue!

“Last Saturday’s performance was a definite highlight. If you consider that we changed the song 24 hours before and were feeling very down, but then we got into the character of the big band and it was great!”

Asked if it is a pressurised existence working seven days a week doing the show, Tom said: “It’s not easy, that’s for sure, with the schedule and being away from home but you don’t have time to think about things. They are long days – seven days a week and if you make it through on the Sunday you are straight back at it on Monday choosing your song – it’s manic.”

The band’s mentor Louis Walsh has come in for some criticism from Simon Cowell who has previously commented that he is not doing the right things with the band (including suggesting the band was too big and should lose a couple of members).

Tom said: “To be fair we have always got on with Louis. He said a couple of things he shouldn’t have done and did a couple of things he shouldn’t have done but we all make mistakes. Having eight people in a band is an experiment; you take risks and some work. He’s a laugh to be around – he really is. He loved our soundcheck today. I can always tell if he’s on edge or stressed but it’s reassuring to see him happy.”

Tom revealed that this week’s song will be Elton John’s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

They hope it will serve them well as this weekend there is a double elimination after which only five acts will remain.

Tom added: “The local support we have had, including from the Daily Echo, has been amazing. It’s really important to us and I’m really grateful to people for voting for us. There is hardly a minute to think about home but I miss the people more than anything.”

So are they fully focussed on winning?

“Absolutely! At the start you say you want to finish in the top five but now it’s a case of going all out. We are so close we can almost touch it!”

If you want Tom and his band Stereo Kicks to stay in the contest don’t forget to vote this weekend!