Japan has never lacked girl groups; what it has lacked is the international machinery needed to turn its acts into global phenomena. Much of the Japanese idol industry has traditionally focused on its domestic audience, leaving many talented performers without the visibility they deserve elsewhere. Yet when a Japanese girl group does break through internationally, it often does so with a clear identity that audiences can understand and an unwillingness to simply follow what everyone else is doing.

XG are a perfect example. Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Harvey, Juria, Maya and Cocona move freely between pop, hip-hop, R&B and club music, but there is very little about them that is predictable. Their sound, styling and performance concepts are constantly evolving, and the work behind everything they create is impossible to miss. Most importantly, they never look bored. There is real hunger in the way they perform.

So, on the night of XG’s THE CORE tour at London’s OVO Arena Wembley, expectations were understandably high.

A blast of Queen’s We Will Rock You was a rather cheeky way to begin a concert at Wembley, but XG have never suffered from a lack of confidence. When the seven members finally appeared in futuristic, space-age outfits for GALA, surrounded by lasers and backed by a huge stage, long catwalk and lifting platform, I thought, well, we were not in north-west London anymore. We were going to Mars, and apparently there was a party waiting for us there. GALA’s intergalactic house beat made for a strong opening, while XG’s synchronised choreography immediately showed the level of discipline behind the production. The song has all the swagger of a fashion runway transplanted into a nightclub, and the group threw themselves into it with enough energy to make the arena feel smaller than it was.

Something Ain’t Right kept the party going and rather than racing down the catwalk at every opportunity, the members initially remained close together on the main stage, which allowed the vocals and choreography to do most of the work. There was some reliance on backing tracks and occasional lip-syncing during the night, but never enough to become a serious problem. XG sang live frequently, and when they did, there was no question that they possessed the voices to carry the material.

The early run through MASCARA and TGIF turned Wembley into a proper club night. The pace barely let up, jumping between pop, electronic beats and harder-edged hip hop rhythms without stopping to ask whether anyone needed a breather.  With microphones in hand and much of the polished pop machinery stripped back, WOKE UP brought the group’s hip-hop identity to the front. The transition from club-ready pop into an old-school rap vibe was quite strong. XG delivered the verses with bite and an understanding of rhythm that cannot be choreographed into somebody who does not naturally have it.

Cocona, who has previously spoken publicly about being transmasculine non-binary and undergoing top surgery, was an absolute force. Put simply, they can bloody rap. It was one of several moments when XG’s “girl group” label felt far too narrow for what was happening on stage. Another costume change introduced sporty white outfits and the more relaxed early-2000s R&B flavour of UP NOW. The shift worked because it showed how easily XG can change their musical temperature. They can be loud and futuristic one moment, smooth and frisky the next, without losing the character that ties it all together.

PUPPET SHOW sounded even better in an arena than expected. Its strange, percolating electronic beat, trap-influenced chorus and slightly unsettling atmosphere made it one of the most musically interesting songs of the evening. It was also where a small crack appeared in the otherwise tightly controlled performance. A missed step disrupted the choreography for a moment – not disastrously, but visibly enough to remind us that even highly trained performers are human. A few similar rough edges appeared across the night, though none were substantial enough to sink the show. XG are clearly good dancers, but certain transitions could still be sharpened. 

When XG were on stage, they were hard to take your eyes off. HOWLING was arranged very well, giving every member a distinct position rather than allowing the choreography to become a moving wall of bodies. Its darker sound had plenty of punch live, and the vocals were equally impressive.

IN THE RAIN brought another welcome change of pace. With its lovely guitar textures and R&B sound, it could almost have wandered in from the late 1990s or early 2000s. The members handled its softer emotional register convincingly, allowing their voices to take priority. The dance cane choreography looked somewhat familiar – R&B artists have been using similar props for decades – but the vocal arrangement gave the performance its real character.

That turn-of-the-century influence surfaced again in ROCK THE BOAT, an easygoing mixture of R&B and hip-hop. Its opening recalled Aaliyah’s Try Again sound, the Timbaland-produced song from the Jet Li film Romeo Must Die. Whether intentional or not, the resemblance immediately brought back the sleek, futuristic sound of early-2000s R&B. To be clear, I’m referring only to the song’s opening, particularly its beat. TAKE MY BREATH and IYKYK pushed the show back towards the dance floor. The former softened the electronic edge with a more buoyant French-house feel, while the latter embraced the kind of club rhythm that made it almost impossible to stand still.

Every song had its own choreography, and it is worth acknowledging the physical and mental work involved. Remembering that many formations, steps and movements while singing, rapping, changing costumes and performing across an enormous stage is not easy.

O.R.B. (Obviously Reads Bro) brought a jolt of pop-punk energy, having enough bratty, early-2000s attitude to recall The Offspring without turning into a straightforward rock pastiche. Soon afterwards, PS118 delivered the night’s toughest hip-hop moment; built around an old-school boom-bap beat, it gave XG’s rap line room to hit hard. The group also performed 4 Seasons, HYPNOTIZE, NO GOOD, just to name a few. 

Not every stitch was invisible; the pacing suffered whenever another VCR appeared and the occasional choreographic slip showed that the production still has room to settle. But those reservations should not be mistaken for evidence that XG cannot perform; quite the opposite. Their live vocals were strong, their rapping was great and their stamina was remarkable. It wasn’t a perfect concert, but perfection can be overrated, particularly when it comes at the expense of personality. XG’s Wembley performance worked because behind all the lasers, futuristic costumes, huge screens and demanding choreography was a group that clearly enjoys what they do. The show still needs a little more freedom in places, but there is no questioning the talent of these seven performers.

XG may have spent much of the night taking Wembley into outer space, but they were at their best when everything was stripped back, the microphones came out and their talent did the talking.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of AEG

_{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.}