Everywhere they’ve been this year, Blackpink have made history. After becoming the first K- pop act to headline Coachella back in April, the four-piece also became the first band in the genre to top the bill at a British festival on Sunday night in Hyde Park.
Though K-pop’s sales and popularity in the UK and US haven’t been in doubt for a long time, it’s only with Blackpink’s summer so far that the genre’s full integration into the mainstream western music industry, especially in its festival line-ups, can no longer be questioned.
If such landmarks could feel intimidating for a young band carrying a scene’s hopes abroad on their shoulders, Blackpink didn’t let it show one jot and took up their crown gladly. From the second they rose up from underground to roar through the raucous Pink Venom, they looked at complete ease, sailing through elaborate and intricate choreographed dances and trading verses of sweetly sung melodies and barbed rapping.
Though the set was likely the shortest of any BST Hyde Park headliners this summer – around 80 minutes, with the band actually on stage for just over an hour given lengthy interludes – the maximalism and sheer energy of every second they did spend in front of the crowd made it hard to feel short changed.
A show of three acts, the first part lasted just 20 minutes but featured fireworks, rapping, crunchy guitars and bubblegum pop smashed all together with glee and abandon. These changes in pace were almost whiplash-like, but never less than thrilling – it was a show that didn’t stand still for a second.
For the second part of the show, each member came out in turn for a solo number or two, lighting the path towards what will undoubtedly be long and fruitful solo careers for all four.
First up was Jennie, whose future looks to be in radio-ready pop as showcased on You & Me. Jisoo then performed the Noughties-flavoured Flower, before Rosé showcased a more melancholic and introspective edge on Down, a welcome dose of minimalism in a show packed with noise and colour.
The real star of the show though was Lisa, whose bratty and boisterous solo track MONEY was the most defined and exciting glimpse into the band’s solo activities, and whose rap verses stood out in many of the other songs performed.
While the set swung from hip-hop-influenced production to EDM-style drops, the band felt most at home in the show’s third act, where they shot straight for pop glory. Through a dynamite run of the exuberant BOOMBAYAH, the deliciously melodic Lovesick Girls and Playing With Fire’s unashamedly huge chorus, their home is undoubtedly on the radio, at the top of the charts and headlining festivals.
As flag bearers for K-pop worldwide, and superstar entertainers full stop, Blackpink ensured that they will not be the last act from the genre to headline festivals in the UK. With a live show as packed full of colour, energy and excitement as this, bookers should be searching high and low for their successors.
