Nothing doing for The Vice and its charismatic frontman, Vincenzo Tocco of Samatzai.

The apotropaic dance that invoked the power of unanimity wasn't enough: the band failed to make it past the second X Factor Bootcamp and will not join the already large group of Sardinians who made it to the Last Call, the very last stage before the Live shows, airing starting October 23rd. The group includes Sinnai-born eroCaddeo, Arborea drummer Mattia Pilloni with Plastic Haze, and Ivorian-Cagliari native Sakina Sanogoh.

The mechanism introduced this year, requiring the judges to vote four yeses, is too brutal. With The Vice, alas, that becomes four noes. Last time, they were a hit with David Bowie's "Let's Dance"—featuring the ever-present pink flamingo as a lucky charm—and tonight they closed the long episode on a high note with Raffaella Carrà's "Ballo, ballo."

Wearing a multicolored jacket and Elvis-style quiff, Tocco, a pianist and composer, and his four colleagues nevertheless displayed brilliance and charm : everyone in the arena stood up, and even the four judges—Paola Iezzi, Achille Lauro, Jake La Furia, and Francesco Gabbani—went wild . Only to then deliver their fateful and incontrovertible verdict.

But The Vice aren't giving up: it's clear on social media that this setback hasn't slowed them down at all. They've never stopped playing around Milan, the city they've chosen—after London—to gain experience with open stages and concerts at festivals, clubs, and venues.

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