K-pop band Stray Kids took London’s collective breath away with an upbeat UK festival debut for BST Hyde Park’s closing night on Sunday.
The South Korean pop group made up of eight charismatic members – Changbin, Felix, Hyunjin, Lee Know, Han, Seungmin, Bang Chan and I.N – has amassed a devoted global audience with their refreshing best-selling discography filled with a range of ballads and electropop hits.
Their gig at the hit London festival came after stunning performances from the likes of Kylie Minogue, Stevie Nicks, Shania Twain, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli, and it was a brilliant closer for BST Hyde Park 2024.
‘This is a career highlight,’ the stars proclaimed to the roaring crowd as they became the second-ever K-pop group (and first boyband) to headline BST Hyde Park the same evening that England took on Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
But for anyone who thought the audience numbers may have suffered due to the clash, you would be sorely mistaken.
The venue was packed to the brim in the waning twilight as the majority Gen Z crowd rocked up in head-to-toe merch, hoisting adoring signs and shouting with enough enthusiasm to alert the whole capital that their favourite group was back in London after five long years.
And it’s no surprise given the group’s ever-mounting popularity. Stray Kids now boast over 30 million followers on Instagram, four US number ones and over eight million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Here in the UK, the group debuted in the Top 40 with their latest album 5-Star which was released in 2023.
They are part of a K-pop wave that has dominated the worldwide music industry over the past decade alongside bands such as BTS and BlackPink. And it is clear to see why.
‘It’s a really big festival and it’s a really big space. It’ll be really interesting to see how much the energy we bring to it will change that,’ the band said last night.
And, boy, did they bring the energy.
After a brief speech sharing their excitement at being here tonight (and, naturally, acknowledging the Euro final) they launched straight into their high-energy setlist for the night which included hits such as Topline, Domino and Lonely St.
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Each song had its own distinct sound, and choruses catchy enough that even those not well-versed in the tunes were able to join in on the chorus – with the help of occasionally projected lyrics – right alongside the diehard fans.
By halfway through the performance, one thing was obvious. K-pop was meant to be experienced, not simply listened to.
Accompanying the songs – evenly divvied up between the vocalists who seamlessly switched from one to the other – were slick dances beamed onto the screens with bold and brash visual effects.
The electric atmosphere only increased as the group sang its biggest hits such as Maniac, LALALALA, S-Class and God’s Menu.
At one point the crowd was treated to a firework display, and the boys even offered their own unique special effect by flinging the water from their bottles into the crowd.
Perhaps the only thing truly lacking was the amount of direct audience interaction throughout most of the one-hour-40-minute set. Although the end came with a slightly over-laboured bit about teasing the crowd with ‘one more song’ for at least four more songs.
But even that had its own charm as the group let down its well-oiled persona to offer a more improvised and cajoling side to their personalities.
If Stray Kids was hoping for a comeback, the band certainly delivered.
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Stray Kids’ 2023 album reached number two in global sales, trailing just behind fellow K-pop group, Seventeen (who enjoyed a historic debut at Glastonbury last month).
Now, the group is looking toward the imminent release of a new album titled ATE with the lead single Chk Chk Boom. And if the crowds that showed up in London last night are anything to go by – I have no doubt about its success not only in the rest of the world but on British shores as well.
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