Katseye at the O2: Gonzo-pop girl group triumph over troubles

The film which plays before Katseye arrive on stage depicts the members breaking into shadowy offices and wrecking equipment, which then forms the basis of the on-stage visuals: circuitry mangled, sparks flying, a system disrupted. You imagine this was initially intended to show the group as a wild antidote to the music industry machine, but it takes on new meaning given the troubles affecting the group of late. Besides which, there is surely no bigger product of the music industry machine than Katseye, who were created out of reality TV show Pop Star Academy. If you haven’t seen it, it’s kind of Netflix’s answer to The X Factor, only way colder – showing US entertainment giants Geffen teaming up K-Pop behemoths Hybe to create a ‘global girl group’. In other words, taking the well-oiled machine of K-Pop and cranking it up a notch by casting girls from across different territories. It was an addictive if sometimes worrying watch, as the young hopefuls were put through the rigors of K-pop training under the merciless watch of experts and execs. When Katseye finally emerged with a string of impressive singles and EPs and a viral GAP advert, they had a setback when Manon went on ‘hiatus’ from the group, citing health and wellbeing issues. Then last month, during this first major global tour, Sophia also went on ‘temporary hiatus’ for similar reasons. Leaving just four of the initial six to take over the UK and European legs of the Wildworld tour.This then is a somewhat battle-scarred group who appear at the O2 amid smoke and sparks, with the speculation that they are falling apart before they’ve barely begun. And yet, such is the highly visible nature of Katseye, with all the ups and downs and dramas associated with reality TV, this all seems like part of the story – and certainly hasn’t stopped the fervour around two sold-out London shows. A good two hours before they take to the stage, most of the merch is sold-out, and thousands of school-age girls are dancing ecstatically in their seats in perfect unison as Katseye videos are played on repeat ahead of the group themselves appearing; a K-Pop show tradition. When they finally begin ‘irl’, it becomes immediately apparent that the process they have been through has resulted in a top-tier pop group delivering electric choreography and a set of songs which are genuinely distinctive. As exhibited by first song Hootie Frutti, this is gonzo pop, a kind of hyper-active post-modern pile-on pop – a cubist pop art, if you really want to miss the point and chin-stroke – which is cheeky, funny, unpredictable and containing about 6 hooks and 16 dance moves within a couple of minutes. “London, make some fucking noise!” they yell, unnecessarily, given the screaming going on. Internet Girl and That Way, both from this year, are followed by an early single (from 2024), Touch, and it quickly becomes apparent that this level of arena show is not going to be a stretch, material-wise. Rather, as the show moves forward, the gripping part is watching Gabriela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae getting to grips with the entity of Katseye and their own places in it.KatseyeRahul BhattDuring crowd interactions they can appear nervous, and as they later venture into the audience to meet fans up-close, actually quite scared. There are other difficulties: the show grinds to a halt a couple of times during the transitions, with the crowd contemplating an empty stage and no music for a couple of minutes, parents suddenly getting into ‘complaint’ mode. On other occasions band members have to depart the stage to deal with some issue or another; when Yoonchae has to nip off before one track, the other members are left to adlib to the crowd to fill in the time. Yet performing-wise, they are outstanding, particularly during their solo spots. Daniela sets the standard with a spine-defying bravura display to Gabriela and then picks out a ‘Gabriela of the Night’ from the front row, a sweet moment with a girl sobbing as she performs the signature moves. It’s followed by one of their big hits Pinky Up – think Timbaland producing an anime theme song – where Megan then takes the extended techno outro into personal show-stopping mission. Yoonchae has an equally charismatic sense of owning it for the equally hard-clubbing M.I.A.But it’s Lara who really leads the way with giving the evening its heart. She introduces Unloveu as her own composition and “one we are particularly proud of as it’s the first Katseye song written by a Katseye member,” before playing it solo at the piano. Her voice generally stands out for its richness and during the crowd walkabout, she is vocally moved at the response she’s getting from fans. In fact, all four girls are in tears by the time they’re back on stage in this moment, which can’t just be relief at having escaped alive. In fact, the show seems really to be about the members of Katseye not just growing in confidence but coming to understand the power and glory that comes with being a huge pop act. As their biggest song Gnarly closes the set with considerable might, the girls seem to finally lose themselves to the moment and revel in Katseye-dom, which out here on these stages, is all theirs. Girl and boy bands suffering under industry pressures and rebelling against their creators is a familiar story and you feel that in the accelerated world of Katseye, you suspect they may well be at that point already – whatever happens from here, the young women at the heart of this project certainly have the talent and charisma and maybe even now the clout to do it their way.