ENHYPEN bring the heat to London's iconic O2 Arena
The septet made their long-awaited appearance in Europe with a kick-off in London. Could Canada one day see the same?
(Photo credit: BELIFT LAB)
Debuting in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic has proven challenging for many K-pop groups. Bands couldn’t attend in-person fan meets, go on tour, or even perform in concert in front of a crowd.
But over the last five years, ENHYPEN has managed to successfully overcome those barriers to become one of the most exciting K-pop groups around. Formed on the survival competition series I-LAND, ENHYPEN is a seven member group made up of Sunghoon, Heeseung, Jay, Jungwon, Sunoo, Jake and Ni-ki.
2025 has already been a whirlwind year for the group. In April, ENHYPEN made their festival debut at Coachella. In June, the band released their sixth mini-album Desire: Unleash, with pre-orders surpassing 2.18 million copies. Now, they’re in the midst of a sold-out tour, making stops across the U.S. and Europe. August 22’s show at the iconic O2 Arena marked ENHYPEN’s very first performance in London.
ENHYPEN is known for incorporating vampire mythology in their concept, using themes like isolation, self-discovery and overcoming desires to embrace who they are as young people growing up in this world. This aside, ENHYPEN have now all reached an age where they can flaunt more mature and sexier sides. Nothing is more blatant than aptly-named songs like “Bite Me” and “Sweet Venom”, exploring the group’s strong desire for connection and salvation.
(Photo credit: BELIFT LAB)
In London, there were certainly lots of plays to ENHYPEN’s vampire theme, as the boys dressed in smartly-tailored satin and leather black outfits to kick off the show with hits like “Brought the Heat Back” and the sultry “Fever.” Things progressively got more vampy as the group later broke off into subunit performances. “Lucifer”, featuring Jake, Sunghoon and Jay, has the members singing about becoming a "terrible monster" after a loss, transforming with anger over losing someone important to them.
The electro-rock song “Teeth” turned the heat up even further, with Jungwon, Heeseung, Sunoo and Ni-ki dancing along a neon green light show. Heeseung, in particular, stood out throughout the concert with his wide vocal range, always hitting tough falsetto notes.
Still, even if you are not a follower of ENHYPEN’s complex vampire lore, the band made it clear that the tour was one about connecting with their fans, ENGENEs. The name ENGENE refers to fans as the engines that help the band grow, while the word “gene” highlights the group’s deep connection with their supporters.
“The Walk the Line Tour tells the story of looking back on our past and spending not only the present but also the future with ENGENES who made us who we are today,” said Jungwon.
Being that this was the first time the group is performing in Europe, ENHYPEN gave lots of time to pay homage to British culture, food and slang.
Jay noted it was his second time in London, having come to the city to watch the Wimbledon finals in June. He even said he and his bandmates were excited to try fish and chips the moment they arrived two days before.
Meanwhile, Jake asked the crowd what else they should try, noting iconic British snacks and drinks like sausage rolls and Tango (a UK soda pop brand). He and Sunghoon also tried their hand at British slang, with “innit?!” being their favourite. Heeseung noted his love of Harry Potter and the football team Tottenham Hotspur.
(Photo credit: BELIFT LAB)
Screams across the arena reverberated throughout the O2, with thousands of fans finally getting a glimpse of a K-pop group coming to London. And it’s clear the members felt the energy. Sunoo in particular was left speechless as the cheering got even louder when it was his time to address the crowd. The 22-year old, known for his adorable smile and positivity, has always been a fan favourite since his days competing on I-LAND. “Can I speak now?” he said, smiling shyly.
ENHYPEN further delighted the crowd with old and new classics, such as “Bite me”, and “Sweet Venom” and “Moonstruck”, the latter track showcasing beautiful, flowy and majestic choreography. It’s a real highlight of the show.
Meanwhile, “XO (Only if You Say Yes)”, has become quite the meme this tour, with fans singing along in their best opera voices. I couldn’t quite hear it as the screams were so loud across the O2. But I couldn’t help but have a bit of a chuckle while hearing the song.
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ENHYPEN, now five years into being a band, really showcases their strengths and synchronicity during the Walk the Line Tour. And while Jake noted how difficult it is to perform across many cities while battling flights, jet lag and fatigue, it was all worth it to finally tour in London.
“Thanks to you guys for giving us so much love, support and energy,” he said. “It’s why we keep going on.”
As for me, it was my very first time watching a gig at the O2, a venue many artists dream of playing. It’s an arena I grew up watching and hearing about on television, and I was stunned by how massive it really was in person. I even loved the little touches done by the London Transport Museum, which composed a poem to mark the ENHYPEN concert.
If you’ve been a reader of this newsletter, you will know that it is a common sentiment among fans that HYBE artists rarely tour outside of Asia and the U.S. I am glad fans in the UK and Europe finally got what they’ve been asking for, and it’s clear many in the arena were very excited. Not even my protective earbuds were enough to mask how loud people were screaming! As a Canadian in the audience, I could relate. Many in Canada are still awaiting an appearance by ENHYPEN one day!
There really is something magical experiencing a show in another city, especially in a cultural hub like London. I hope ENHYPEN can go home feeling proud to have sold out such a venue, especially at this point in their performance career.
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