One Direction Hysteria As Band Arrives In Oz

Crowds of screaming fans in Australia have greeted boy band One Direction as security is stepped up in the country ahead of a series of performances by the boy band.

Hundreds of young girls camped out overnight at Sydney airport to catch a glimpse of the group - formed on TV talent show The X Factor.

But there was disappointment for the teenagers as the five young men, who were arriving from a promotional tour in the US, slipped out the back exit.

Surrounded by a large police presence, the boys, all wearing sunglasses, were whisked into two black vans.

The group, known to fans as 1D, are in the country to play at the Logie awards - Australia's version of the Emmy's this weekend.

Beforehand they will perform shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Parents have been warned to keep their children at home over concerns the group will cause a security nightmare on the streets of Melbourne where the Logies take place.

Organisers had not anticipated the band's popularity when they booked them to perform during Sunday night's show.

A spokeswoman for the award ceremony said: "We are getting more security and more police.

"Our main priority surrounding the performance is the safety of those fans attending and the community surrounding the Crown precinct, as well as the boys themselves.

"We are totally across it. We have seen what this band has caused across the world - they shut down streets in Paris when they appeared in-store recently."

There are fears the boys could cause similar mayhem to that experienced in Sydney when teen star Justin Bieber was in the city in 2010.

The US pop singer had to cancel a performance on a TV breakfast show after fans became hysterical as they tried to catch a glimpse of him.

Despite the warnings about One Direction, young girls in Sydney have not been put off showing their adoration.

A large group gathered outside the group's hotel, dancing, singing and screaming for the boys.

This time they were rewarded with a glimpse of two One Direction members as they made a brief appearance on the hotel's roof terrace, waving at the crowd before heading out for a boat trip in Sydney Harbour.

Last week there were emotional scenes from fans when a merchandise store dedicated to the British-Irish group opened in Sydney.

Band members Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik were signed to Simon Cowell's record label after appearing on The X Factor.

They originally entered the 2010 contest as soloists but failed to make it through the boot camp stages.

Seeing their potential, Cowell got them to join forces to form One Direction and they went through to the live shows as a group - eventually coming third in the contest.

They have just been on a successful tour of America where they caused similar hysteria amongst young girls.

Last month they made US chart history when their debut album, Up All Night, went straight to number one.