For a music fan, there really is no greater cachet than being able to say: “I knew them before they blew up”. It’s the thrumming feeling that permeates every sweaty, cramped gig venue when an audience can see, in real-time, that they’ll never get to see this artist in a space this small again.
That’s the vibe at indigo at The O2, the small 2,000-capacity room sitting literally in the shadow of London’s most coveted arena space. It’s here that NME Cover stars KISS OF LIFE – made up of Julie, Natty, Belle and Haneul – proclaim that, whatever happens next, we are the “OG KISSYs” (the name given to their fandom). Everyone in the room knows the venue’s intimate proximity is about to become a real bragging right.
Despite a shaky start – the quartet hit the stage 30 minutes late – all is forgotten when the quartet pull out their black sunglasses and get in formation for their viral hit ‘Igloo’’s now-iconic TikTok challenge choreography. Screams erupt so loud you can barely hear the song’s low-key soundscape, which can be expected for a tour that’s light on production value.
Though K-pop is known for its visual overstimulation, KISS OF LIFE’s first world tour is a stripped-back affair with only a black stage and a couple of side-of-stage screens for decoration. There are a few teething problems as a result, like a moment where the group go off stage for a costume change, leaving an awkward, silent intermission. But that bareness also allows their vocals and performance to shine, and they have both of them in spades.
They’re as comfortable twerking to songs (‘My 808’) as they are sitting with handheld mics for ballads (‘Nothing’). The moment where they sing an as-yet-unreleased song called ‘Wine House’, a ’90s-infused R&B track reminiscent of groups like En Vogue and TLC, is a standout because there’s a palpable sense of confidence that’s usually inhibited by being so exposed on stage.
Sexy is a term that hangs around KISS OF LIFE like a mist. It’s infused in their song choices and choreo. “That song is so sexy, right?” Julie purrs after they sing the scintillating ‘Chemistry’ to whoops and hollers. But if there is any knee-jerk concern that comes with seeing four women focus on sexuality in their performance, especially in an industry where questionable ethics around young female idols feels front and centre for so many, the foursome make sure to let fans know they’re in on the bit.
They hone in on that tongue-in-cheek vibe for ‘Te Quiero’, where the group bring one fan from the crowd on stage for the most up-close and personal show of their lives. The quartet dance as a unit but then also give solos, with some members climbing over the fan like a sexy striptease. Seeing them take hold of their sexuality and funnel it to one person rather than a mass feels like an allegory for autonomy – they’re the ones holding it and they get to decide what they do with it.
As they say their goodbyes, the room vibrates to the point that the camera beaming their image onto the screens at the side of the stage can’t focus and becomes a fuzzy mess. Though the concert hits the beats any seasoned K-pop fan would expect, KISS OF LIFE pull off something unplannable: they leave you wanting more. Thankfully, it seems like they want to keep giving us more, too.
KISS OF LIFE played:
‘Bad News’
‘Igloo’
‘Get Loud’
‘Wine House’
‘Chemistry’
‘TTG’
‘Nobody Knows’
‘Gentleman’
‘Te Quiero’
‘My 808’
‘Nothing’
‘Sticky’
‘Midas Touch’
‘Shhh’
‘Bye My Neverland’
‘No One But Us’
‘Back To Me’