Members BX, Seunghun, Yonghee, Bae Jinyoung and Hyunsuk debuted in five-member boy group CIX under C9 Entertainment in 2019, and for the past three and a half years, the group has been solidifying their position in the market with a consistently relaxed and feel-good sound to their music. A good example is their hit “Movie Star”, which is well-loved by fans and casual listeners, and features an addictive hook: ‘She’s a movie, movie star...She knows it, she knows it’.
CIX opened their show in pentagonal formation with “Numb”, followed by “What You Wanted”. From the start, it was already clear where the members shine persistently; they all sung live with stable, melodic voices. This is fundamental in the creation of an all-rounder K-Pop group – they’ve got to be able to sing well and dance at the same time. Another strong feature that was apparent from the beginning was the stage’s production and lighting quality. The strobes were bright and clear, the separation of the coloured lights between the members and the stage was flawless, and they were all ever-changing and appropriate to each song. The lighting production, while sometimes overlooked at concerts, was key here in making sure the performances conveyed the stages' desired moods, and that the group looked as good as possible.
A performance that was particularly gorgeous in design was “458”, a song which has been praised for its uniqueness amongst K-Pop title tracks. Shrouded in red and pink light, the boys danced a bit more furiously than during their other, calmer songs. At the end, the boys retreated while a VCR played for the audience, and the members then performed consecutively their own chosen solo covers. Hyunsuk received perhaps the most cheers from the London crowd for his stunning performance of “Let It Go” by James Bay, as it was arguably the most universally recognisable of the solo covers, as well as it being a song by a British musician. Seunghun, who was the last to give a solo performance, hiked up the mood with an energetic cover of “Cake By The Ocean” by DNCE.
The crowd themselves seemed to be performing back to the group; with a capacity of just 2300, the O2 Forum Kentish Town is a fairly small venue, but the crowd made it feel almost bigger on the inside with their sheer volume of screams. This was reflected in the excitement the fans seemed to feel for the boy group’s first own concert in the country.
Near the end of the show, CIX seemed to relax a bit, stopping to chat with the audience more frequently. BX thanked the audience for spending their precious time with them, and Yonghee commented that he’s ‘happy that every time [he’s] come to London [he’s] made great memories’. With the same good mood, CIX ended the show with a final performance of “The One”.
The boys left the stage and the fans for the final time in a good heart, promising to return soon. The concert was sweet and simple; CIX came to dance, to sing live, and to show the best of themselves. Both together and apart, they showed it well.
