Stray Kids live in London: a thunderous show of epic proportions

After weeks of rain, the sun finally came out in London last night, bathing the 65,000-strong crowd at British Summer Time Hyde Park with golden evening light. Awaiting the balmy summery evening, were Stray Kids, ready to unleash a thunderously stormy set of epic proportions.

I briefly meet the group backstage before the gig, Hyunjin, dressed in a head to toe, sandy-colour Versace outfit, spotted me first, and greeted me with an enthusiastic frenetic wave and smile as I approached. Standing in front of the eight-piece, they had an aura about them that gave me the feeling that they were more than ready for the huge moment that awaited them. What struck me the most was that they were all beaming as they chatted away about their Milan concert from a few days ago and going out to perform to such a big crowd in London. If they were nervous, as they mentioned to me, it didn’t show. It felt more like excitement and eagerness. This joy translated when a huge red Stray Kids banner unfurled, and they first burst out onto the Great Oak Stage to perform ‘S-Class.’ as the closing headline act for BST Hyde Park’s 2024 season (following greats such as Kings of Leon, SZA, Kylie, Robbie Williams, and Stevie Nicks.)

The self-producing group curated a clever set-list, just short of two hours, and really drew out the rockier sound of their discography, with use of electric guitars and bass from their live band. Raucous crowd-pleasers such as ‘My Pace,’ ‘TOPLINE,’ and ‘God’s Menu’ benefited from this amped-up heavier sound, which were peppered with fan-favourites such as ‘Charmer’ and ‘ITEM’-complete with Pac-Man-inspired choreography.  HAN and Changbin were word-perfect from the get-go with their supersonic speed rapping and kept the energy up right until the closing song. Bang Chan, Seungmin, I.N, Lee Know and Hyunjin matched the energy with strong vocal performances, being balanced out with Felix’ unfathomably deep baritone voice. 

Now in their sixth year of being a group, Stray Kids have perfected how to work a crowd. American Express’ British Summer Time Hyde Park, with its capacity of 65,000, can be an unforgiving arena for even for the biggest of stars and legends of the music world. The palatial space can be hard to command, due to its sheer size and depth of the crowd, some of whom have been lolling around on the grass since early afternoon. Rather than being swallowed up by the space, they inhabited it, grabbing the attention of the crowd, and clambering on every part of the stage they could reach. They didn’t let go of the audiences’ attention the entire time, producing wave after wave of energy that swelled through the crowd, waving their trusty light sticks.

Often, members would peel off to interact with the crowd on a more personal level. Seungmin would often take to either side of the stage, hyping up both wings of the audience. I.N seemed to love sitting with legs dangling off the front podium, waving and singing to STAYS. Hyunjin, Changbin and Bang Chan all launched into the crowd at various points of the night, running through the sea of Stays. What worked especially well was the group switching up between high-energy, complicated choreography or vocal sequences, to create smaller, personal interactions with their fans. One moment, Lee Know was vibing on his own, giving strong vocals paired with some silky dance moves, the next, he was jumping on I.N’s back before the pair charged down the stage runway. There was plenty of comradery and hugging, which really felt like the group were out there enjoying the whole spectacle as much as their fans. The eight-piece seemed to be everywhere all at once. Then, as if connected by an invisible string, swiftly got back into formation for a pinpoint precisely executed dance break, often lead by Hyunjin and his incredible, fluid movements. HAN got carried away at one point, fully immersed with the crowd, which ended with him sprinting up the stage runway to make it back in time for the chorus of ‘LALALALA.’ Being a pro, he of course made it back just in time.

Stray Kids don’t venture to London all that often. I asked them if they had managed to see anything of the capital, but their tight schedule has seen them go from Seoul to Milan to London in the span of a few days, leaving them no time to sight-see. They told me they had managed to grab some Korean food, but there was no time for them to watch any football or visit any art galleries. That didn’t matter, as they clearly had one goal in mind when it came to London. Headlining such a huge crowd at BST Hyde Park (the first K-Pop male group to do so) was their time to really enjoy and show what they have achieved as a group. There is no time for rest though. Bang Chan, who led the crowd through the rollercoaster of a set, full of boundless joy, grinning from ear to ear as he chatted and performed to the crowd, spoke about the band’s comeback album ‘ATE’ that is due out in under a week’s time on 19^th July. The high-energy, multi-disciplined performance they put on was reflected in the crowd, leading to plenty of goosebump, shiver-inducing moments during the set. There were crowd chants to ‘MIROH,’ sing-alongs to ‘Social Path,’ and feet stomping, earth-rattling as the group’s high-octane songs hit their crescendos. It was moments like these that every stadium tour artist dreams about having. Bang Chan, unsure if they were allowed to continue due to curfew times, managed to produce a six-song encore, which was only fitting for the party atmosphere in the park. You could tell they had put their all into the show, perfectly summarised by Felix’ voice cracking as he said ‘goodnight’ to the crowd. They left it all out there on the stage. The football may not have come home last night, but after the performance of such magnitude and the crowd’s reception last night, here’s hoping that Stray Kids will be coming back to the U.K soon to give us another world-class show.