It’s been over two years since Billlie, the South Korean girl group, made their debut with their EP, The Billage of Perception: Chapter One. With seven vocally talented members – Moon Sua, Suhyeon, Haram, Tsuki, Siyoon, Haruna, and Sheon – the group has quickly grabbed the attention of many K-pop fans. 

While many still consider them a rookie group, Billlie delivers songs like the champs they are. Their sound might sometimes seem monotonous, but their vocals certainly do not. 2023 brought more excitement with their fourth EP, The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three, led by the single EUNOIA. Despite a challenging period following the tragic loss of Moon Sua’s brother Moonbin and subsequent health-related hiatuses, the group continued to push forward.

Now, with all the members back, they went on the Billlie World Tour Our FLOWERLD, which included several European dates. One of the cities they performed in was, of course, London. Billlie’s show took place at TROXY, a venue known for hosting concerts by artists such as Garbage, Morrissey, Doves, Pixies, Stereophonics, Patti Smith, and Siouxsie.

Billlie began their performance with GingaMingaYo (the strange world) from their 2022 EP, The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One. Their choreography was great, featuring swift, charismatic, and well-executed movements. What seemed like a down-to-earth routine quickly showed us its hidden complexity through their body movements. The group’s high-energy and precise performance and impressive vocals left me wondering, “What else are these girls going to surprise us with tonight?”

And while the group opened their setlist with an explosion of high-energy tracks, also including flipp!ng from their 2022 release mentioned above, and DANG! from the 2023 Side-B: Memoirs of Echo Unseen, they took a dramatic turn that almost made us lose our hype momentum. Before singing the soothing the soul savior ~ I don’t need a superman, the group addressed the crowd with, “Hello London! It’s our first time here, and as expected, London Billlie’ve are the best!”

Some K-pop groups can stretch out their MENTs (talking segments) so much, that you start to wonder if you’ve accidentally signed up for a marathon rather than a concert. While their extended chatter did test our patience, the girls more than made up for it with their good performance.

When it came to the soul savior ~ I don’t need a superman, they slowed things down, focusing purely on their live vocals while standing in a row. No dancing, just pure, powerful singing that proved these seven ladies didn’t need a Superman – they were already superwomen on TROXY’s stage. With gorgeous purple lighting setting the scene, the performance was visually catchy, though our energy level did drop by about 100% during the mellow set. Nonetheless, their vocals kept the charm alive.

Billlie’s setlist offered a range of covers as well. There was a dance cover of BLACKPINK’s Kill This Love and Jung Kook’s Standing Next to You by Tsuki, Sheon, and Haruna. Unfortunately, with the latter, the execution fell short, with noticeable synchronisation issues and a lack of the high-energy vibe that Jung Kook typically delivers.

Suhyeon and Haram attempted to cover the hauntingly beautiful Rewrite the Stars by Pasek and Paul. While their vocals were strong and heartfelt, the harmonies during the chorus didn’t quite hit the mark, leaving a bit of the magic missing from this well-loved ballad.

Moon Sua and Siyoon took on BLACKPINK’s Pink Venom with good results. Their interpretation surpassed the original in both speed and vocal harmony, with Moon Sua’s rap and Siyoon’s energy creating a great synergy on stage. The night featured a VCR segment displaying funny moments from the practice, providing a lighthearted break and glimpses of the group’s sisterhood. 

Billlie’s performance was a rollercoaster of energy, but one thing was constant: their incredible vocal talent. They took fans on a journey with FLOWERLD from their debut EP The Billage of Perception: Chapter One, McGuffins ~ Who’s the Joker? from The Billage of Perception: Chapter Two (check out those eye-catching album covers designed by one of our favourite visual artists, Regina Kim), and EUNOIA from their 2023 release, The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three.

The group also sang some fan favourites like DOMINO – Butterfly Effect and RING Ma Bell (What a Wonderful World), with the latter rekindling the high-energy vibes we experienced at the start of the show.

To close out their London show, Billlie delivered a strong finale with RING X RING, BYOB (Bring Your Own Best Friend), and believe. While we left wanting a bit more, one thing was crystal clear: Billlie nailed it vocally. Now, if they could just crank up the energy a notch, they’d have the whole package!

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Thank you Studio Pave for having us

Featured image courtesy of MYSTIC STORY

_{View of the Arts is an 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.}