When K-Pop Met Britpop: Reliving the Magic of Korea On Stage in London
Last Wednesday, K-Music fans from across the UK made their way to OVO Arena Wembley for KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON for a night jam-packed with some of the best musical talent from South Korea. Pop, rock, indie and rap acts from Korea took to the stage in London to celebrate 140 years of UK-Korea diplomatic relations. Hosted by Gong Seungyeon, best known for her roles in the film Aloners and K-dramas such as The First Responders and Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, the lineup for the concert was filled with renowned Korean artists - the talented gayageum player Yageum Yageum, K-pop rookies BOYNEXTDOOR and xikers, K-Pop girl group STAYC, Korean rapper and internet sensation Lee YoungJi, Korean indie band Jannabi, Korean rock band Xdinary Heroes, K-Pop boy groups P1Harmony and ATEEZ, along with an appearance from Britain’s very own Henry Moodie. As British K-Pop fans of over 10 years (and counting), Hallyu Doing’s Katy and Stevie were thrilled to attend the event dedicated to the relationship between Korea and the UK - here’s what went down.
In true British style, the rainy weather certainly didn’t stop thousands of fans from making their way to Wembley looking noticeably stylish - some fans even wearing outfits similar to their favourite idols, or styles synonymous with certain K-Pop groups. There were banners and freebies galore from dedicated fans eager to celebrate the special occasion and commemorate it with their fellow British K-music fans. We were lucky enough to pick up a banner supporting the K-pop rookie boygroups BOYNEXTDOOR and xikers when we arrived in London the day before the concert. The day of the concert, while sheltering from the rain, a fellow ATINY (ATEEZ’s fandom name, a combo of ATEEZ & Destiny) gave us little freebie packs for one of our favourite members - Stevie picked up a Yeosang pack while I (Katy) had a Jongho pack. These little packs included some incredibly cute handmade bracelets and a whole bunch of stickers. Freebies are without a doubt one of the loveliest aspects that are very common at K-pop concerts, and we really admire all the fans who take the time to create such heartfelt fan memorabilia.
Gong Seungyeon on the red carpet
KOREA ON STAGE took a leaf out of the fans’ books too! The organisers handed out banners and even free lightsticks inside the venue. This was a very well-thought out addition we haven’t noticed at any other K-Pop concerts or festivals. Lightsticks, a key piece of K-pop merchandise, can be pretty pricey and most fans only have one or two lightsticks for their favourite groups - so handing out the lightsticks at the event, to ensure the room was glowing beautifully in red, white and blue - was genius.
Once the audience was inside the venue, thoroughly dried off from the rain and singing along to some of the upcoming acts, it was time for the show to begin. Host Gong Seung-Yeon opened the show with a video call to TWICE’s Jongyeon (Though Seungyeon will know her better as her younger sister!). After beginning the evening’s festivities, Yageum Yageum, a gayageum (a traditional Korean string instrument) player with a huge online following, took to the stage. Warming the crowd up with a medley of huge K-Pop hits, all performed on the gayageum, Yageum Yageum opened with the iconic ‘Boy With Luv’ by BTS. She transitioned into undisputedly the most successful K-Pop hit of the year, ‘Cupid’ by FIFTY FIFTY, which had everyone singing along. The medley moved on to ‘Super Shy’ by NewJeans and finished up with ‘I AM’ by IVE - and yes, everyone was trying to hit those high notes. Yageum Yageum’s opening set was perfect to get everyone even more excited for an evening of K-Music, and we then moved on to our first K-Pop act of the night - super rookies BOYNEXTDOOR.
BOYNEXTDOOR (left) and xikers (right)
The newest act on the lineup, having only debuted at the end of May this year, KOZ entertainment’s super rookie boygroup BOYNEXTDOOR will definitely have some more British ONEDOOR after their set. The group, who aim to sing songs that people can hopefully relate to in their daily lives, opened with their popular tune ‘But I Like You’, and went on to perform ‘One and Only’, ‘Crying’ and finishing up with ‘But Sometimes’, the lead single from their first EP ‘Why..’. Dressed in outfits that were definitely giving British boy next door vibes, the members won over the audience with their first performance in the UK.
The following act at KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON was none other than xikers, the next super-rookie boy group on the lineup and second youngest group, debuting in March this year. Despite debuting this year, xikers already have a huge number of fans in the UK, earning them a huge round of cheers as the introduction for their set began. Nine members of the ten-piece (Junghoon is currently on hiatus due to an injury) took to the stage with a high-energy set, opening with their latest lead-single ‘Do or Die’, debut song ‘Tricky House’, and rounding up with ‘Homeboy’ and ‘Rockstar’. The group put on an incredible performance, making sure to mix their intense choreography with fan interactions, and looking perfectly Brit-punk in their outfits. Speaking between songs, the group said the British crowd was super welcoming and that they hope to come back soon - so fingers crossed for the Europe tour that Roady is hoping for!
Xdinary Heroes (left) and Lee YoungJi (right)
It was then time for our first K-rock experience of the night. Xdinary Heroes got everyone on their feet and singing with their opening cover of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ - very fitting for the group who were super excited about performing at Wembley. The band then moved on to their latest release ‘Break the Brake’, ‘Freakin’ Bad’, ‘PLUTO’ a fan favourite from their latest mini album, and closing with their debut song ‘Happy Death Day’. Having the K-rock band on brought a different tempo and vibe to the evening, keeping the energy ever switching and exciting. We were blown away by how incredible Xdinary Heroes are live, and are definitely jealous of everyone seeing them on their Europe tour - which they were kicking off straight after Korea on Stage, performing in Paris then returning to London the following week.
The young, talented rapper Lee YoungJi, well known for hosting the web talk show Not Much Prepared and winning both High School Rapper 3 and Show Me the Money 11, appeared from within the audience for her opening number ‘I am Lee Young-Ji’. Heading back to the main stage, YoungJi performed ‘Day & Night’, ‘Fighting’ by Seventeen’s BSS, which she features on, followed by ‘SMOKE’ (Dance challenge of the moment which YoungJi performs with the legendary Dynamic Duo) and rounding up her performance with ‘NOT SORRY’. Proving to be as funny as she is gorgeous and talented, the Korean rapper seemed in her element performing for the hyped audience.
Jannabi (left) and Henry Moodie (right)
Iconic indie band Jannabi graced the London stage next. Performing in the UK for the first time, they opened their set with their songs ‘Together’ and ‘Legend’, before moving on to ‘Summer’ and ‘For Lovers Who Hesitate’. In the lead-up to the concert, Jannabi was one of the acts that a lot of people had on their radar and were excited to see for the first time - this was evident from the sheer amount of Jannabi banners and supporters in the crowd. Yet again, having another varied act, performing beautiful, slower-tempo indie songs, brought a refreshing atmosphere to the room. Jannabi completed their set by welcoming British singer Henry Moodie to the stage for an incredible, crowd-pleasing cover of ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles.
I have to say in all my years of being a K-Pop fan, I never thought I’d be belting out Hey Jude with fellow K-pop stans at a K-music concert in London, but that was the pure uniqueness of KOREA ON STAGE, and it was a moment we’ll all treasure forever. The UK’s own Henry Moodie stayed on to perform a few of his own songs, viral hits ‘pick up the phone’ and ‘drunk text’ - all while iconic K-drama scenes ran in the background.
P1Harmony
It was time to swing back into K-Pop next, with P1Harmony returning to the London stage for the second time, having performed here in summer 2022. Unfortunately, member Jiung was missing from the performance due to feeling unwell, so the six-member boy group performed as five for the night - asking the audience to cheer for Jiung too. P1Harmony performed ‘Look At Me Now’, ‘Back Down’ and their latest lead single ‘JUMP’ - and, of course, absolutely smashed it regardless of the last-minute changes. They closed their set with the energetic ‘Follow Me’, complete with audience participation that had Wembley Arena shaking, and keeping everyone rolling for the final two acts.
STAYC
Top girl group STAYC took the penultimate slot in the show for their first ever performance in the UK. Performing hit after hit, they opened with ‘RUN2U’ before performing their latest singles ‘Bubble’ and ‘Teddy Bear’, then their viral hit ‘Poppy’ had everyone dancing along. Much to everyone’s delight, STAYC covered an iconic British girl group song, ‘Wannabe’ by Spice Girls - and it’s safe to say that may have been the main cause of our sore throats the following day. We, along with the whole crowd, were singing word for word with STAYC, bringing the energy to an all-time high for the final act.
Global sensations ATEEZ, returning to London for the second time this year and undeniably the most highly anticipated act of the show judging by the number of ATEEZ lightsticks and sheer volume of screams, wrapped up the magical night of performances. Opening with their debut song ‘Pirate King’ before moving on to the iconic ‘Say My Name’, the 8-member group brought their signature and iconic style that British fans have come to know and love to every song. They took a little break in their set to have a mini birthday dance party for leader Hongjoong, who’s birthday was the previous day. They then moved on to their latest hit ‘Bouncy’, much to the cheers of the crowd who all pulled off the iconic chorus choreography. Moving on to ‘Eternal Sunshine’, a bit of a curveball for fans who were aware they haven’t performed it in a while (apologies to all the eardrums I burst when the song first started). Of course, ATEEZ had to wrap up the show with ‘Guerrilla’ and it’s legendary fanchant, ‘Break the Wall’ which has easily become the most iconic K-Pop fanchant of recent years.
ATEEZ
As the concert came to a close and all acts took to the stage to wave goodbye to fans, it was hard not to have a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. And probably a sore throat too, if you were screaming anything like we were throughout the night. During the show, the performances and features in between highlighted the history of Korea and the UK’s relationship, further cementing the key message of 140 years of UK-Korea diplomatic relations.
Iconic British and Korean architecture and landmarks, scenes from K-Dramas, and a tear-jerking scene featuring two young British and Korean girls - all the visual elements of the show tied the celebration’s theme together perfectly. The entire evening was the perfect celebration of Korean culture and showcased how all elements of Korean culture, especially music, are rapidly growing in popularity in the UK.
Undoubtedly the best K-Music festival held in the UK to date, it was refreshing to have a unique mix of music. From the traditional-meets-K-Pop gayageum performance, to rock bands and rap acts. Topped off with the Korea-meets-UK covers of Queen, The Beatles and Spice Girls - unique performances we may never see again - it was truly a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable experience for fans and artists alike.
KOREA ON STAGE IN LONDON will be broadcast on Korean TV, on KBS 2TV on November 23rd.
The full lineup of Korea On Stage in London in a post-concert group photo, via Lee YoungJi’s Instagram story (@youngji_02)
