Blackpink created history by headlining a major UK music event as the first Korean band to do so.
Concertgoers had traveled halfway across the world to see them perform. Blackpink is not only one of the most popular K-pop groups but also one of the most popular bands in the entire world.
Lisa (real name: Lalisa Manoban), 26, from Thailand; Rosé (Roseanne Chaeyoung Park), also 26, from New Zealand and Australia Jennie Kim, 27, from South Korea; and Jisoo Kim, 28, from Gunpo, about 20 miles south of Seoul, came together in a rigorous, six-year boot camp.
They broke new ground as the first K-pop girl band to sell a million albums after the release of their 2016 debut single Whistle. They have 356 million followers on Instagram. Their most recent album, Born Pink, went straight to the top of the UK album charts.
Blackpink were a good pick for the more experimental BST line-up, despite the fact that they stood out on the UK festival circuit, where this year’s headliners are mostly safe, tried-and-true acts like Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, and The Strokes.
The band is currently in the midst of a world tour, and their presentation features bombastic, self-assured pop tunes accompanied by the kind of choreography that would make the professional dancers on Strictly break out in cold sweat.
Amidst pink lights and a video wall covered in sharp, black thorns, they exploded onto the stage and performed Pink Venom and How You Like That, two of their most powerful anthems.
From their name to their music, everything about the band embodies that contrast.
Their songs typically end with a military-style “rum-pa-pum” chant, and they balance every sweetly-sung melody and pop hook with a dark EDM theme or frantic rap breakdown.
Blackpink Thrills The Audience
The four singers maintain a high energy level throughout the first twenty minutes, stomping down the catwalk.
During a brief break, Rosé comments, “London, what a nice breeze you have,” clearly appreciative of the opportunity to catch some air conditioning following a string of performances in Australia’s heat.
The show’s middle segment is reserved for individual performances, during which each member can showcase material written specifically for them.
Blackpink’s most talented songwriter, Rosé, showcases her pop nous with a combination of the smash songs Gone and On The Ground. while Jisoo plays the sweet-hearted love song Flower with wide eyes and a shy demeanor.
Lisa, who best exemplifies the band’s in-your-face attitude, blasts through the hip-hop tune Money, then starts voguing in the dance breakdown; Jennie, fresh off her co-starring role in the HBO miniseries Idol, shines through a fun version of Solo.
During Rosé’s solo set, a gust of wind blows thousands of streamers back into the stage, where they hang from the lighting fixture for the remainder of the night. This is the one blip in an otherwise flawless performance.
Blackpink is the first K-pop band to headline a UK festival. King, who is the head of European festivals for live entertainment giant AEG, says they won’t be the last.
“This genre of music is only going to get bigger,” he says. “You’ve seen it today. There’s great passion out there, even though many of these bands have never been to a Greenfield festival.
“I think that any resistance we may have felt before has been blown away by Blackpink – and that opens the door for many of their contemporaries to come through as well. “
