The globalised phenomenon that is K-pop landed in Brisbane on the weekend, (24th October) with South Korean music prodigy Lunafly taking over New Globe Theatre for their first Australian tour.
The band, consisting of four boys, attracted quite the crowd to the multi-leveled theatre: a quirky hybrid of girls, boys, women and men from not only Australia, but places as far as New Zealand, England and even Malaysia.
Warming up the eventual arrival of Lunafly were some energetic dance groups. DJ Howl and the NEKO DC dance crew started the night before Street Groove and Paradise Crew sent the excited revellers into a frenzy of cheers with their dance moves, before Korean Artistic Talent United – KATU – performed a selection of K-pop hits.
Andy Trieu, the radio and TV co-host of SBS PopAsia hosted the event. He treated Lunafly fans – affectionately known as Lukies – to some signed CDs and band shirts, but not without a dance-off competition.
Finally, the long-awaited main event emerged from the backstage doors, greeted by ear-splitting screams and a room full of K-pop worshipers.
The boys opened with an original song titled ‘Day By Day’, but the show was primarily filled with crowd-pleasing covers; Lunafly performed nods to Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and Green Day.
Traditionally, the band pays homage to the countries they visit by performing tracks made famous by local acts. For Australia, they chose 5 Seconds Of Summer’s hit ‘Amnesia’, which the crowd embraced openly, singing along and waving their arms.
Splitting the musical showcase in half was a brief Q&A featuring questions from fans in the audience. Two girls in particular emerged from the side of the stage, announcing to the theatre that they managed to raise $500 for Cancer Research, on behalf of one of Lunafly’s members. They achieved this by selling a custom-made shirt with the band’s logo on it, and as a reward for their awesome efforts, the two were treated to a hug from each of the boys and a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience.
The remainder of the show saw the ensemble perform some songs of their own, including their debut ‘Superhero’ and a more recent song titled ‘Can I Kiss You?’.
The post-show meet and greet proved the band’s love for their Lukies, as they hugged and accepted gifts from each fan that stepped on stage to get a photo with them.
Lunafly emanated a tremendous amount of star power to the New Globe Theatre, showcasing the vocals, stage presence and musical ability of truly seasoned performers.
Four out of five Superheroes!
