On July 14, K-pop sensation Stray Kids made their way over to the UK for the annual BST Hyde Park Festival. After BLACKPINK’s appearance at last year’s lineup, Stray Kids became the first male K-pop act to headline this renowned festival.
Since their debut in 2018, the octet – consisting of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. – has rapidly grown an immense fanbase, known as STAYs, throughout the years. With their self-produced songs that ‘shook the industry’ and the hearts of many fans worldwide, Stray Kids remain as one of the most groundbreaking fourth-generation K-pop groups to date.
The anticipation leading up to this event was through the roof as ads were displayed around the streets of London weeks prior. The festival drew in a total of 65,000 attendees from the UK, neighboring European countries, and overseas combined. Fans have started queuing since 9AM to secure a good spot. Soon enough, the fields of Hyde Park were filled with STAYs clutching onto their SKZOO plushies and Nachimbong lightsticks.
With several minutes leading up to the start of the set, the crowd collectively sang along to Stray Kids songs as they patiently waited. A live band opened up with a suspenseful instrumental as a giant red banner emblazoned with the group’s name unfurled, revealing the eight members perched on bleachers. The screams elevated as the members dived into the 2023’s hit “S-Class.”
“Stray Kids everywhere all around the world you make Stray Kids stay.”
“Stray Kids everywhere all around the world,” proclaimed leader Bang Chan, prompting everyone to join in on the chant of their popular slogan. It has been a good five years since their last visit to London, so for many UK STAYs, the group’s return signaled an important milestone. Their appearance at BST also marked their UK festival debut. “Did you guys miss us?” continued Bang Chan; judging by the audience’s passionate response, the answer was quite obvious. In a respectable manner, he introduced their live band members as their infectious beats permeated the air, leading up to their next performance of “TOPLINE.”
Tossing their jackets aside, the boys strutted down the catwalk during “Thunderous” as the crowd shouted “소리꾼 (Thunderous)” in unison. Flashes of lightning were projected on the LED display to compliment the song’s atmosphere. It had been raining the week prior in London but it was bright and clear that day with the sun rays beaming down on the members’ faces. With their high-tempo tracks like “DOMINO,” Stray Kids brought up the heat as they aggressively headbanged to the rhythm.
The live band added extra flavor to the performances, particularly during the interlude where they showed off some magnificent Led Zeppelin riffs. After a brief outfit change, the members arrived back on stage for their sentimental song “Lonely St.” The show was filled with nonstop fun here and there. For instance, during “Charmer” Bang Chan, Felix, and I.N. lifted their shirts to reveal their abs (much to the delight of many fans) while Han gave a witty “Expecto Patronum” during the last verse.
Flying through banger after banger, Bang Chan teased that they had more stages prepared. After another interlude, the sound of bells chimed in, evoking the “GABOJAGO” fan chant for their next performance of “LALALALA.” Rather than going along with the choreography, the boys sang while smiling and waving to fans for most of the song. A comedic moment was when Han, fully immersed in the crowd, sprinted down the catwalk to make it on time for the dance break (reminds us of 3RACHA’s win at the Asian Artist Awards 2023).
As nighttime was approaching, the lightsticks brightly glowed across the field. Adding to the magic, a marvelous display of fireworks burst above the stage for their EDM hit “MIROH” as the crowd vigorously shouted, “Stray Kids wooo!”
Bang Chan commented that it was time to wrap up the set to abide by the venue’s curfew although he later interjected, “Should we not care about the rules and do one more song?” Seungmin added, “I’d like two more songs!” With that being said, their encore consisted of another performance of “TOPLINE” followed by “MEGAVERSE.” The boys were all smiles as they sprayed water into the crowd and high-fived fans at the barricade.
In the final ment, Bang Chan spoke about the UEFA Euro 2024 final that was held that day and hyped up their upcoming album ATE. Showing no signs of wanting to leave just yet, Felix goaded the crowd, “You guys want one more?” After numerous shouts of a resounding “Yes!” the group wrapped up the night with the beloved track “Haven.”
“London, we’ll be back,” they assured STAYs as they left. Stray Kids proved to be the perfect headliner for BST Hyde Park as they delivered a jaw-dropping show. Although their time in London was cut short due to their hectic schedules, they plan on returning to Europe for their <dominATE> World Tour. In the meantime, make sure to stream their new album ATE out now!
Quotations have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Photos and words by Angela Leung
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