On a blissfully sunny day in Hammersmith, London, five of the six-member pop group WayV assembled at the Eventim Apollo for the seventh stop of their “PHANTOM” fan meeting tour. A fan meeting tour, as the quintet demonstrated, is a regular concert tour with a twist; it includes various segments and more frequent breaks in between songs to chat and get intimate with the crowd. “Intimate” might be the most appropriate word for their stop in London on the 8th of June, in which their first meeting with the city’s fans was met with immense love and support from both parties and no less than stadium-worthy ricocheting energy. 

Members Kun, Ten, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang brought to the stage a perfect demonstration of varied talents, as well as hearty and lively character during their interactions in between performances. While leader Kun sat out from some explosive dance routines due to an injured ankle, he warmly encouraged fans not to worry, and sang with so much stability and passion that their routine came off flawlessly.

The five erupted on stage with a stellar performance of “Kick Back”, which included the group’s staple formula for a hit: a striking dance break and a bridge sung by angels, followed by a powerful high note – executed perfectly by Xiaojun. While all the members are decent dancers, a special mention must be given to Ten, whose history as a renowned dancer did not fail him when he pulled off each move with precision and grace. 

After a cinematic VCR played onscreen, the members returned to properly greet their fans, WayZenNi, and settled down the mood with a round of ‘What’s In My Bag?’, this time focusing on what YangYang had packed away to show everyone. Over the course of a few minutes, YangYang pulled out several interesting items, some of these including: Jaffa Cakes, a black cab souvenir, a postcard for fellow NCT member Renjun (which, unsurprisingly, delighted the crowd), Harry Potter merchandise, and a raggedy old Winnie-the-Pooh plush, which, when he revealed he’d had since he was a small child, made the fans melt at the endearing thought. 

After YangYang reminisced about his previous times in the city to the crowd that gave him their full attention, one thing became clear: this group has a rare and precious relationship with their fans. It’s not uncommon for musicians to remain on one side of a wall while they keep their listeners on the other, but WayV seems to break down that wall entirely. The energy between them was honest, relaxed, and affectionate. 

The group went on to perform a medley of dance covers of songs by various SM artists, before a beautiful song cover of “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, which was received well by the Brits. They continued to show off their smooth-as-honey vocals in their mellow songs “Broken Love” and “Dream Launch”, but it was as if everyone in the room jolted with electricity when the group’s massively popular hit “Love Talk” finally came on. The enthusiasm was off the rails, and not a single word was missed from the audience’s chanting along to the seductive lyrics. It was, perhaps, the most memorable 3 minutes of the show.

For the remainder of the night, the five showed performances of more fan-favourites like “Nectar” and “Diamonds Only”, as well as a few more small covers of songs suggested by the audience. The crowd was something of a spectacle itself, as when filling the venue with cheers and screams wasn’t enough for them, they decided to make the ground shake with a thunder of feet-stamping, startling the members at first. It was of course out of support for the group, and they returned their gratitude. 

The respectful exchange between artists and fans was a delight to see. They shook the London fans’ world, embraced them lovingly, and left them aching for more. It’s absolute: we’ll be awaiting WayV’s prompt return.

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Written by Maddie Armstrong

_{View of the Arts is a British online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.}