On July 13, 2025, 8TURN closed their “8TURNRISE” World Tour with an epic grand finale in London at the Islington Assembly Hall. What a way to end the tour!
For those new to the group, 8TURN is composed of Jaeyun, Myungho, Minho, Yoonsung, Haemin, Kyungmin, Yungyu, and Seungheon. They debuted on January 30, 2023, with their first mini-album, 8TURNRISE, featuring the super energetic title track “TIC TAC.” Just a few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing 8TURN to promote their latest single album, LEGGO. It was great to get to know the guys better, so be sure to check that out!
Now, let’s dive into the night!
8TURN opened the show with the super energetic “RU-PUM PUM,” immediately showcasing their talent from the very first beat. Their dance moves were incredibly sharp, and their vocals were perfectly on point! They then performed “WALK IT OUT” before taking a short break to catch their breath and introduce themselves. Next up was a fantastic set featuring “WONDER,” “EXCEL,” and “SKETCH.”
After this first set, 8TURN’s first unit—Jaeyun, Yoonsung, and Myungho—performed a cover of EXO’s legendary KAI’s viral hit, “Rover.” As one of my favourite songs, I was so surprised to see them perform it, and they sang it incredibly well! They truly nailed it!
Following this amazing cover, the group decided to have a Q&A session with questions from fans, collected previously on a pinboard. It was a very fun interaction! Each member picked a question and asked the member sitting to their right to answer it. One particularly amusing question was about which songs fans would like them to cover. They then danced snippets of ILLIT’s “Magnetic,” KATSEYE’s “Gnarly,” and ATEEZ’s “Deja Vu.” I was so surprised they actually knew the choreography for “Gnarly”—I love that song! To close the Q&A, the final question asked which One Direction songs they liked, and they all sang “What Makes You Beautiful” together.
After this very entertaining interaction, it was time to get back to business! The guys started singing “I Want You Now” and “Say My Name.”
Then it was time for the second unit—Seungheon and Yungyu—to perform their cover of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Let me tell you, this performance was outstanding! Their rap skills and stage presence were truly amazing!
Next up was another quick Q&A, but this time 8TURN asked their fans, “TURNING,” some questions. How the tables had turned! They asked when fans started listening to 8TURN. This led to a segment about that time 8TURN participated in the survival show “ROAD TO KINGDOM: ACE TO ACE.” They decided to showcase some performances from that show, complete with props and outfits from it! It was absolutely amazing! They performed “WE / THE GAME” (ROAD TO KINGDOM: ACE TO ACE ver.) wearing American football jackets and holding American football balls, which was so fun and unexpected to watch! They then talked about how they prepared for the show and how important it was for them to showcase this set. To wrap up this mini-adventure into “ROAD TO KINGDOM: ACE TO ACE,” they performed a medley of songs by ENHYPEN and IVE, alongside 8TURN’s own tracks: “Future Perfect” / “TIC TAC” / “Love Dive” / “SPEED RUN.”
It was then time for another mini-game: a face-off dance cover challenge. The first group (Team 1: Jaeyun, Seungheon, Yungyu, Kyungmin) performed a dance challenge only to J-Hope’s “Killin’ It Girl.” The second unit (Team 2 ‘Sexy’: Minho, Yoonsung, Myungho, Haemin) performed a dance challenge only to SEVENTEEN’s “THUNDER.” It was so fun to watch; the guys were clearly having a blast and enjoying themselves on stage!
Finally, it was time for the last unit—Minho, Haemin, and Kyungmin (the “sexy guys,” as they described themselves!)—to cover BTS’s “Black Swan.”
8TURN then reunited to perform “WE” and my forever favorite, “TIC TAC.” The last fan interaction was a “LEGGO” dance challenge, where we all participated, and they later published the footage on 8TURN’s official channels.
The show, unfortunately, came to an end with them performing their latest title track, “LEGGO.” But you know it’s not a K-pop concert without an encore! 8TURN was back on stage after a very short break to perform “Like a Friend,” “ING,” and “You Are My Reason.”
Just like that, the show was over. What can I say? 8TURN showcased how professional and talented a rookie group can be at such a young age! As they wrapped up, 8TURN thanked the fans for coming and expressed their wish to see them again soon, perhaps next year or the year after. I really hope they come back! We all need to show up and share some love for these amazing, talented guys! For now, let’s all listen to their music and support them on social media. I have a very strong feeling they’ll be back very soon, better than ever!
DAVIDE K-POP 