[Review] MIK Festival London K-Pop day
CHUNG HA gave an exclusive performance of an unreleased song and SUHO charmed the crowd.
CHUNG HA debuted a new song from her upcoming album, “Don’t Believe in Love”. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
This article would not have been possible without the media passes gifted to us by MIK Festival.
Europe’s first outdoor Korean music festival kicked off on Saturday 30 June in London, featuring the likes of HOLLAND, Cherry Bullet, Golden Child, CHUNG HA, VIVIZ, PENTAGON, SUHO, and Red Velvet.
Located in Southwark Park in central London, the Made in Korea (MIK) Festival organised an impressive stage to accommodate the line-up as well as a selection of Korean street food available around the site.
In an effort to combat single-use plastic, reusable MIK cups were used for water refills. Merchandise was also available to buy as well as blow-up seating and hand-held fans – to enjoy the music in comfort. Despite being the festival’s debut, the organisers’ meticulous planning helped the day go without a hitch.
Rookie group BILLLE were planned to open the festival, however with members Suhyeon and Siyoon testing positive for COVID-19, and therefore being unable to travel, it fell to solo artist HOLLAND to begin the festivities.
HOLLAND opened with his single “I’m So Afraid '' and closed his show with his hit “Neverland”. HOLLAND made a lasting impression on the audience with his humour and excitement. He also set the standard for fan service when he walked through the audience after his set to give fans in general admission a chance to see him up close.
It was rookie group Cherry Bullet’s first time performing in the UK, however, the crowd was overflowing with supporting Lullets, made recognisable by their gun-shaped light sticks.
The girl group performed some of their hits such as “Q&A” and “Love So Sweet”. Cherry Bullet performed in outfits featured in the MV of their latest release “Love in Space”, cutely dubbed by member Bora as “Love in London”.
Cherry Bullet performed their latest single “Love in Space” in outfits featured in the MV. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
Golden Child followed Cherry Bullet with their specially chosen set list which included songs such as “WANNABE”, “Without You”, and “One (Lucid Dream)”. The group showed their playful and relaxed side to fans, sharing their excitement to have ridden the tube for the first time.
Golden Child’s leader, Daeyeol, enlisted in the army in March this year, but, despite his absence, the group produced a memorable and enjoyable set for fans.
Solo artist CHUNG HA was next to take to the stage, opening with her single “Sparkling” from her recent album Bare&Rare Pt.1.
Golden Child specially made their set list for MIK festival. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
During “California Dream” Chung Ha waved and made finger hearts to fans as well as posing for photos. Before the end of her set, she gave fans the ultimate gift by performing an unreleased song from her upcoming album “Don’t Believe in Love”. Although she confided in fans that she was nervous to perform the new song, the song was met with excitement and cheers.
Next up was the stunning trio VIVIZ. They energetically took to the stage in beautiful denim get-ups to perform their set-lists of songs hand-picked for having the first letter of their name in common with London. The girls performed “LOVEADE”, “Lemonade” and “BOP BOP!” truly bringing a summery vibe to the festival.
PENTAGON followed VIVIZ with an energetic set, opening with “The Game” and closing with their popular hit “Shine” which had the whole crowd singing along.
Member KINO mentioned his upcoming solo special single which is set to be released on the 9th of August. During “Beautiful Goodbye” the members took time to wave to fans and pose for their photos.
Ten years after his first visit to the UK with fellow members of EXO, SUHO returned to London to put on a solo performance for Exo-L.
He performed both double singles from his latest mini album, “Grey Suit”, as well as the title from his first mini album, “Let’s Love”. After taking English classes while completing his enlist last year, SUHO charmed fans in English with pick up lines as well as briefly performing the Beatles’ song “Let it Be”.
EXO SUHO finally meets British fans again after 10 years. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
The highly anticipated girl group, Red Velvet, closed a day of amazing performances. They treated fans to the English version of “Bad Boy” which had only ever been performed before at KCON in New York in 2018. From their new album the group performed the B-side “BAMBOLEO” and the title song “Feel My Rhythm” before ending the night with summer favourite “Red Flavour”.
As the first day of the MIK Festival came to a close, all excitement turned to the next day, where Korea’s biggest Hip Hop artists would be performing on the very same stage.
The first day had been a resounding success, and had given European fans a chance to see their favourite idols on stage. We certainly hope to see MIK festival return to London next year with a fresh line up of K-pop stars.
Whose performance did you enjoy the most?
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.
