Billlie in London: Relive Their First UK Show
The ground rumbled as the mesmerising group introduction video played on the big screen, fans becoming antsy, jumping, shouting and clapping while they awaited the arrival of the seven girls to the stage. The crowd erupted the moment the lights went out and their silhouettes made their way onto the stage, cheers from all directions as their iconic Gingamingayo started playing and the lights came up to reveal the members of fantastical K-pop girl group Billlie!
Photo Credit: Mystic Story, shared on X(Twitter) @Billlieofficial
Billlie kicked off their debut show in the UK - after multiple failed attempts out of their control - with some of their grandest songs! The first few songs being some of the groups most intense in terms of performance, truly showcasing their passion and energy right off the bat.
Fortunately I had the chance before the show to chat with various Bellieve (Billlie's official fandom name) in the audience before the show. Many said it was their first time seeing Billlie since they had not been to the UK before and of those a majority had tickets to see them at said cancelled events. really showing how anticipated their UK debut was for these fans! Fans expressed they felt that they had to be there simply because they had been so excited to see them multiple times before.
In preparation for this concert some Bellieve had made their own trinkets to hand out at the show such as bracelets and one fan even made their own banner project (These are shown in the tweets below). Projects like these are regularly done at concerts in Korea to show an organised, collective love to the artist from the audience and take a lot of time and dedication to organise, from designing to paying for them to be printed to carrying them all the way to the concert.
When talking to Bellieve I found the most eagerly anticipated song was by far their "Ring Ma Bell" with many fans saying it was their number 1 favorite from them, which of course granted it the loudest cheer of the night and it definitely proved worth the hype, even becoming a personal favourite of mine in the process.
Photo Credit: Studio PAV Europe, Mystic Story
I also had the pleasure of speaking with some of the VVIP fans that had met the girls just before the show! Billlie themselves seemed ecstatic to finally be in the UK, I was told they were constantly complimenting the beauty of both the London Bellieve and London itself. These kinds of fan experience opportunities are so important to the core of what true K-pop concerts are, interactions are one of the standing pillars in K-pop and just one of the many factors of why being a K-pop fan can be so rewarding. It was also expressed to me how quick and easy the experience was with very little waiting times and next to no confusion throughout.
After performing a few songs Billlie said a few words about how excited they were to be here, the leader Moon Sua expressing how she wanted to come to London the most during their Europe tour and how it is a lovely city. Members Tsuki and Siyoon also said they had been sightseeing the night before the show to see the London Eye and Big Ben!
The next few songs were more laid back b-sides like ‘the soul savior ~ I don't need a superman’ and ‘lion heart (the real me)’ where they showed off their very impressive live vocals, as someone who has been to many K-pop concerts they have well earned a place in some of the best live vocals I've heard! During these songs they also interacted with many fans, smiling, waving and posing for photos from the stage. This was then followed by the cover section of the concert where they split into smaller units to perform hit songs from artists such as BTS’ Jungkook, Blackpink and ‘Re-write the Stars’ from The Greatest Showman soundtrack! While the girls went backstage to cool off they also played a short practice vlog on the big screen where fans enjoyed screaming loudest when their favourite member - or bias - came on screen.
This was followed by the return of their choreographed songs, coming back out again to possibly even louder screams than before, their movements never wavered with every step being precise and energetic from all seven of them, you can only imagine the amount of practice and teamwork these routines must have taken to perfect. Eventually they came back together for a short ment where they discussed different songs they played and also sang a snippet of their Patbingsu which the fans loved as it's not on their official tour setlist! They went on to play songs such as ‘EUNOIA’, ‘enchanted night’, ‘M◐◑N palace’ and ‘DOMINO ~ butterfly effect’, each of them showing unique charms and demonstrated the versatility of their skills and discography.
As they started to wrap up the concert, member Suhyeon prepared a speech entirely in English just for the fans in which she said "Thank you so much everyone who came all the way to see us tonight. I'll cherish this moment forever thank you and I'll see you real soon. Thankyou for all your love and support" pouring out the love for her fans as she had clearly practiced this a lot, also teasing a possible return to the UK which I'm sure fans over here would love to see!
Photo Credit: Studio PAV Europe, Mystic Story
In the last few songs they played some of their most famous tracks such as ‘BYOB (bring your own best friend)’ and ‘RING x RING’, fans sang and danced along in the crowd creating a euphoric atmosphere just full of love for their favourite artist. They eventually closed on their track ‘believe’ which is dedicated to their fans, they spent this song freely walking up and down the stage interacting with as many fans as they could and smiling and dancing with each other leaving the room full of joy.
As the house lights came up and the stage was suddenly empty the chorus of chattering fans began, all hugging each other and talking about their favourite moments with their friends. Many take a moment to process and remember every moment of the concert smiling from ear to ear. I was able to briefly catch a few fans on their way out of the concert hall where they expressed thoughts that very much reflected my own, a great show that was definitely worth the wait wishing they could do it all over again as soon as possible.
So to summarise this show was a great display of the real talent that this Korean girl group has and demonstrated what Korean artists can bring to a live music event! I do hope that this won't be Billlie's only UK show and when they eventually do come back I will for sure be in the crowd once again and to anyone reading that may not have been at the concert or even not have been to a K-pop concert before I must urge you to make your way there as well. You won't regret it!
