DAVIDE K-POP

On Sunday, June 8th, YOASOBI delivered an outstanding, sold-out show at the OVO Wembley Arena, an experience that made my jaw drop from the very first note. YOASOBI performed in London for two nights, June 8th and 9th, and I was lucky enough to attend the first night.

If you’re new to YOASOBI, let me give you a little introduction to these incredibly talented artists.

YOASOBI is a Japanese music duo consisting of Ikura, the vocalist, and Ayase, the composer. They are primarily known for their innovative approach to music creation, where they adapt short stories into their songs. A little spoiler from the London show: the storytelling throughout the entire performance truly highlighted this aspect of their artistry; their creativity was out of this world.

Their breakthrough came in 2020 with songs like “Into the Night,” and they’ve since achieved significant success, including iconic anime theme songs like “Idol” (from Oshi no Ko), which became a global sensation. “Idol” reached the top of Japan’s Hot 100 chart and was named the best-performing song of 2023. You might also remember the viral “Idol” stage performance where several K-pop idols joined YOASOBI on stage to dance together. As the viral video’s caption famously stated, “the most expensive backup dancers”—it will always be an iconic and one-of-a-kind moment. YOASOBI’s success doesn’t stop there; they’ve also performed at events like Coachella and the recent Primavera Sound in Barcelona, expanding their music beyond the Japanese market and marking their presence internationally!

Now, for the moment we were all waiting for! The big show in London! And what a show it was! I’m still buzzing with excitement.

As soon as I stepped into the venue, I could feel all the love from the fans cheering and dancing, eagerly awaiting YOASOBI. The stage was super cool, featuring an inflatable design with flames and abstract monsters/animals. It was a strong design that really set the tone for the entire show. Even before the performance began, we could already feel and absorb YOASOBI’s creativity.

The lights went off, and a countdown began on the screen, which then opened the show with a techno-vibe song featuring red lights, smoke, and lasers. The adrenaline was incredibly high; we were all so excited! It was a great mix of metal energy with pop and techno vibes. This opening was insane; my jaw truly dropped to the floor. I knew from that very moment that we were in for not just an ordinary show, but a performance of a lifetime.

YOASOBI kicked off the night with the high-energy “Seventeen.” It was incredibly energetic, with epic lasers and flames on screen. From the first song, we could see they had a live band, and everyone was equally a star of the show, as they were spotlighted individually a few times, which I found very nice. After that, they jumped into “Shukufuku” and “UNDEAD,” delivering such great performances! The energy was consistently high—I’ll repeat this often, but trust me, it truly was!

YOASOBI then took a little break and introduced themselves, stating it was their first time in London and thanking the fans for showing so much love. While wrapping up this first interlude, Ikura screamed, “Are you ready to dance and sing with us?! Alright London! Make some noise!!!” And let me tell you, they didn’t even need to say that because we were all so hyped and ready for more!

“PLAYERS” was up next! What an epic performance with a cute video game-inspired video playing in the background; the set and special effects were incredible. After that, they played “New Me,” a very cute track with an anime video playing in the back. YOASOBI then played “Halcyon,” another amazing performance, and Ikura made sure to let us know her mic was on—what vocals she has!! “Watch Me!” made its live debut; this is a new song that came out recently, their latest track! It had a very cute anime playing in the background.

“Tabun” was up next, and it was iconic and sweet; she invited the fans to light up their phones. The arena was so bright as all the fans cheered together with YOASOBI. Up next, they performed “Monotone,” which had such great energy, with rock mixed with metal vibes. “Yasashii Suisei” was up next, an amazing song with the spotlight on the singer, and then one of the band members played an outstanding electric guitar solo moment.

“Monster” (“Kaibutsu”) was played next, and they really warmed up the fans so well before starting the song! It was a great song; fans were cheering “yeah, yeah, yeah” with light sticks, and their hands were all synchronized. What an energy! YOASOBI then played “Yuusha” and “Ano Yume wo Nazotte,” which Ayase talked about before this last song and invited fans to sing along. Then, of course, the whole song had this amazing rock kick!

It was now time for the viral “Idol“—what an epic performance, especially the rap part! Call me basic, but this was my highlight! Just after this song, Ikura took a moment to thank the fans by reading a letter she wrote for them. “I’m really happy to share this moment with all of you, here at the OVO Wembley Arena. Ten years ago, I was a stray musician singing alone with my guitar in my hometown. At first, I felt that my friends and family were my only audience. I never imagined that ten years later I would be here in London, so far from Japan, performing for 10k people. It’s unbelievable.” She then continued… “This truly special day isn’t a coincidence; it’s the result of our journey chasing our dreams…” She then introduced the next song, “Let’s celebrate this moment together! Let’s listen to each other’s heartbeats…” “HEART BEAT” was a sweet ballad that made fans sing along, and the camera was pointed at the fans while they sang.

It was now time for the last song, unfortunately, “Gunjou,” which had a very nice melody to it. YOASOBI was not ready to say goodbye yet; we had an amazing encore. Ikura took her guitar for the encore while performing “Butai ni Tatte,” and they then closed the night with the iconic and everyone’s favorite “Yoru ni Kakeru.”

Just like that, the night was over. YOASOBI left their mark in London, delivering an outstanding performance! They lived up to expectations and beyond! They truly are amazing and creative artists. There aren’t enough stars in the whole galaxy to rank this show. Spectacular. Mind-blowing. Unforgettable. That summarizes YOASOBI’s night in London. If you didn’t catch them this time, please make sure to catch them next time; you’ll miss out big time!

Huge congratulations to YOASOBI and the whole team for delivering such an amazing show. From beginning to end, from lighting, lasers, and visual content creation to the direction of the show, everything was a masterpiece.

Massive thanks to Live Nation for having us, and all photo credits to Tom Pallant (@tmpllnt).