It’s been almost two years since the 6-member rock band made their debut with the hit single ‘Happy Death Day’. Now, with another 4 EPs under their belt, the group is currently on their first world tour ‘Break the Brake’, with London being the second European stop. On Monday, hundreds of fans - affectionately known as “Villains” by the band - piled into the O2 Islington Academy. As a VIP ticket holder, I was fortunate enough to be close to the stage and so had an amazing view of the whole event.
The group consists of leader and drummer Gunil, keyboardist and main vocalist Jungsu, guitarist and rapper Gaon, rapper and synthesiser O.de, lead guitarist Jun Han and bassist and main vocalist Jooyeon. It was incredible to see how their instruments blend so well together and as a fan since their debut, I was in awe at hearing the quality of their live music for the first time.
The crowd was phenomenal; fans passionately sang along to popular hits such as “AGAIN? AGAIN!”, “Strawberry Cake” and the namesake song of the tour “Break the Brake”. Other hype songs included “Freddy”, “Test Me”, “Bad Chemical” and “Come into my head” and the crowd excitedly bopped along. The boys also surprised fans with special covers of two songs: firstly, “WANNABE” by k-pop girl group sensation ITZY (coincidentally under the same company as the band - JYP Entertainment), followed by “The Great Escape” by Boys Like Girls.
However, the group doesn’t just have upbeat and heavy tunes - they also performed many of their more emotionally charged tracks, showcasing their varied and unique style. These included “Good enough”, “Dear H.” and “Paranoid”, the latter of which being incredibly poignant as it describes the group’s own insecurities along their music journey. They rounded off the amazing night with “Freakin’ Bad”, where fans enthusiastically screamed the lyrics.
Throughout the concert, Xdinary Heroes had many wholesome interactions with the fans, but around 200 of us were able to interact with them during the VIP photos. In groups of 9, we had group photos with the members. During my group’s turn, we talked with Gunil and Gaon about how much we loved the concert and admired their talent. They were really lovely and I’m so excited to get the photos! Additionally as a VIP, we received a special poster and photo cards, with some posters being signed - I was lucky enough to get one of them.
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and I hope that the group will return soon. Check out their most recent album “Livelock” on various streaming platforms; many of the songs also have awesome music videos to accompany them!
