Being into K-Pop for well over a decade, you get pretty used to saying "These are the most beautiful people I've ever seen in my life."
I think I meant it this time.
Evidently, so did the rest of Troxy as EVOL's poured into the East London venue for XLOV’s long-awaited UK debut stage in a flurry of glitter, lace, oversized tailoring and soft silhouettes - and those were just the fans.
The concert opened with a dance troupe covering a series of K-Pop and K-Pop adjacent hits, perfectly setting the tone of a night solidly grounded in performance, and identity.
Speaking of which, after previously speaking to fans about the impact of identity with XLOV, we couldn't help but have a second layer of appreciation for the group as we walked into the concert and my gosh...
What. A. Performance.
XLOV opened with "Rizz", emerging as silhouettes against a wash of cool blue light before stepping forward into view. From the first beat the members smoothly dropped onto the floor with the iconic intro split, leaving the audience well and thoroughly gagged (even though we all knew it was coming). Their movements were smooth, almost liquid. K-Pop is known for being dance-heavy but there's an extra spice needed for something to truly be a performance - and Wumuti, Rui, Hyun and Haru were swimming in it.
This remained evident as they flowed straight into their debut hit "I’mma Be" and "1 of LOV".
They took a break to greet the crowd, as one normally does. Though there was a touch more care, as Wumuti softly spoke out to the fans to watch out for themselves. (Seriously, he has such a soft speaking voice).
Rui and Haru suddenly jumped back, and happily skipped off stage, leaving Wumuti and Hyun grabbed their mics to surprise and serenade the crowd with a cover of Rihanna’s "Diamonds" under shimmering soft lighting. Reimagined with their airy vocal style, the track became less of a power anthem and more of a gentle affirmation. The pair harmonised beautifully, as Wumuti and Hyun's vocals all but melted into each other into an almost lullaby nature. It was truly breath-taking.
The honey-voiced duo finished and disappeared off stage as Rui and Haru returned with a dance cover of "Hit & Run". The pairing of these young talents was surely a match made in heaven with Haru's sharp and dynamic moves contrasting beautifully against Rui's painfully elegant and dainty choreography sweeping across the stage in a perfect black swan-white swan moment. Their dance training definitely shone through here, and my mid-20s spine definitely cracked a little just watching them.
The quartet reconvened with a surprisingly sultry rendition of BLACKPINK’s "Lovesick Girls", before the middle of the set leaned into their more understated tracks.
They paused to play a game with the crowd, separating themselves into teams of Hyun and Rui, and Wumuti and Haru - prompting each side of their venue "territory" to scream the loudest, prancing on stage and egging the fans on.
They concluded the "battle" and jumped to perform "BIZNESS", which took the crowd on a sharp turn with the dance-heavy beat and iconic swishing skirt choreography. "Scent" followed and slowed the pace to a sexier, more dreamlike wavelength, with the lighting following suit and shifting to hazy purples and pinks that reflected off Troxy’s ornate ceiling.
They moved to another cover, this time of Troye Sivan’s "Angel Baby" sung with soft harmonies and minimal movement, it drew some of the loudest singalongs of the night. It was tender and earnest, the kind of performance that makes a large venue feel suddenly very small. They do that very well, XLOV. Balance the sharp with the soft. A sentiment that was even evident in their gorgeously tailored yet embroidered and lacy outfits. Striking. Truly striking. Kudos to the stylist and everyone else involved in the hair, makeup and most importantly - nails, because not a single detail looked out of place. Finger claps for all.
Back to the show; the energy lifted again with the sassy "Dirty Baby" and "Drip Drip" before moving to close with "1&Only". However, they paused for a moment, announcing that the choreographer Cullen Neale was actually in the house! A pink-haired figure joined them on stage, as they all quickly performed the point choreography for the song. Neale returned, and they finally performed their summer hit. They said a brief goodbye to the stage, before vanishing.
After loud stomping and chants from the crowd, they returned for the encore with the super gyaru, super J-Pop idol-coded "Biii:-p", grinning as they encouraged fans to clap along with a "Are you ready to be gyaru?" They jumped into the super cutesy, yet still meaningful, track before saying their final goodbyes. Throughout their ment, they emphasised caring for yourself, and the importance of identity. A sentiment we think resonated deeply with every fan in the building, as well as themselves.
Now, was XLOV’s London debut theatrical? Yes. Flashy? Also yes. But not in the way of fancy stage lights that steal the show and special effects that cost more than all our university tuitions combined - but theatrical in the sense that there was emotion being performed with every dance move. Humanity in every vocal riff. In a world of mass-produced entertainment demanded in one instant and discarded the next, the members of XLOV proved that what they have was real, and raw, and human. And that's something no development in technology or system can ever replicate. A generational talent that very rarely emerges.
And if this is how they choose to be seen, London will be more than ready to see them again.
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