Some nights are magical, some feel like a struggle. Then there are nights like this; like theatre, like cinema, like a life retold in sound.

KINO, known to many as a member of the K-pop group PENTAGON, stepped onto The Garage stage in London like a character walking into his own story, dividing the evening into acts, each one tracing the growth of an artist who has broken away and built his own path beyond the glossy expectations of K-pop.

From the very first second, I knew this wasn’t going to be a standard setlist. KINO gave us his own life story, a narrative long overdue.

The lights bled red – volcanic, apocalyptic.

WURK opened the show. Red light poured over KINO as he stepped forward. Even as his music moves through rock, funk, R&B, and psychedelia, that unmistakable KINO style remains intact, yet set on fire. Then came My Turntable Is Concrete Pt.2, and the floor turned into a club before mutating into something grittier, stranger – psychedelic rock riffs tearing through the air while live drums (Mario Conte) and electric guitar (Chesley) gave the song muscle and sweat. By Devil on My Shoulder, the volcano fully erupted, and the tension snapped. The show had officially begun.

And Club Sex Cigarettes? Damn. A filthy-good rock song in the best sense; grit under the fingernails. The kind of track that makes you want to scream along. Then he stopped and smiled.

“London, what’s up? I missed you guys. It took me four years to be back. With this first set… I liberated myself from my frustration.”

Liberation. That word would define the night.

What followed, MAPSI, Cerberus, Tell Me What You Want, POSE, was an artist breaking free in real time. R&B melted into rock, and rap collided with powerful drums. KINO’s clear vocals rode over Afro-tinged rhythms, and somehow, it all made sense.

KINO moves between genres the way some people change moods – naturally. Rock feels natural, pop feels alive, and every style is completely his own. POSE shone, combining his K-pop roots with a rock edge and bold arrangement. I think this will be a future classic. Then came the second talk, softer and a little bit shy.

“I named this section sexy,” he laughed, accepting flowers from a fan. “When I prepared ‘POSE,’ it was my first solo song. I was so nervous… now I’ve released sixteen songs. It’s my third tour. Are you proud of me?”

The crowd answered for all of us.

Life wasn’t easy, he admitted. Depression, frustration, doubt. But learning to love even the imperfect version of himself, that was the real victory.

“I want you guys to love yourself, too. Even imperfect you.”

And just like that, the show slowed its heartbeat. The third act was intimate and beautiful.

READ MORE: KINO ON “EVERYBODY’S GUILTY, BUT NO ONE’S TO BLAME“

ANNIE, seated, nearly a cappella, jazz-kissed and delicate. Skyfall was dark, barely any light, a silence where every breath counts. As you know, some songs may entertain, but this one feeds your soul. Watching him sing, visibly moved, you realise something rare: artists like this are special. I see them as emotional translators; they take what we can’t put into words and sing it for us. KINO did exactly that! As a journalist – someone who tries to stay objective – I still felt it catch in my throat.

Back in time followed, a melancholic pop-rock ballad full of longing. A plea: Can you take us back in time? Not literally, but emotionally; the desire to return to a moment when everything felt warmer, simpler, safer. I had goosebumps, and we were all singing like we were trying to hold onto something already gone. That’s when you understand: this is not only his story, it is ours too.

After an interlude – purple lights, a leather jacket, full rock star aura – the energy flipped again. There’s something about KINO that’s hard to explain: is it his magnetism, his charisma? Call it what you will. You never get bored or skip a track. He knows exactly how to build sound that sinks into your bloodstream. During Dancing On The Road, How It Was, and Fashion Style, the guitars screamed. At one point, Chesley went full Slash for a moment, and the crowd went wild.

Phone flashlights lit up the venue for Everglow, his vocals dancing differently between English and Korean – deeper tones in one, soaring highs in the other. Subtle shifts in intonation that make you appreciate just how expressive his voice really is. Then came honesty again.

“My last section was about my depression… and then finding the lovable me. All kinds of feelings were in me.”

And with that acceptance came chaos – joyful, reckless chaos.

Freaky Love, Solo, fans on stage, hand choreography, old-school garage rock energy straight out of ’90s London. He didn’t feel like a star towering above the crowd. He was one of us, just happier and freer. When he thanked every member of his band and team by name, it was oddly moving. Humility is rare at this level, but it suits him. The final stretch, Broke My Heart (messy ver.), Call My Name, DIRTY BOY proved something undeniable: KINO was born for rock. He fits the genre like a coral reef fits the ocean, naturally and perfectly. Like he’d been waiting years to finally breathe underwater. By the encore, the entire venue partied hard. Shine, Spring Snow, group photos, laughter.

“You have no idea how happy I am now.”

Neither did we.

And then Flake, club beats colliding with rock guitars, hypnotic, feral, absolutely unhinged in the best way. A collaboration with Garzón Robie that turned the place into one big, sweaty, and ecstatic dance floor. The DIRTY BOY + DIRTY BOY + DIRTY BOY finale was an explosion, and no one wanted it to end. Not many people were filming every second, and that might have been the most beautiful part. For once, everyone just lived in the moment. When KINO jumped into the crowd, trusting us completely, it didn’t feel dangerous. I usually only experience that with underground rappers, so seeing KINO in the middle of us felt intimate, almost unreal.

By the time the lights came up, my ears were ringing, throat raw, heart somehow lighter, and one thought remained: this was a great show; it was liberation, it was catharsis. It was an artist finally standing in his full truth and inviting us to do the same. It felt exactly like the title of the tour: FREE KINO.

KINO gave a piece of himself to us. He told his story in a way I’d never seen before. Nights like that don’t happen often, and when they do, you don’t forget them.

Rating:

Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image © Maggie Zhu for View of the Arts

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}