Blackpink made history at BST Hyde Park by becoming the first Korean band to headline a major UK music festival with their signature blend of pugnacious swagger and sweetness.
The K-pop girl group – composed of Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa – closed out the second weekend of the annual event in London to a sold-out crowd of 65,000 fans.
Opening to screams and pink fireworks shooting up from the stage, the girls launched into the braggadocious Pink Venom against a neon pink background while clad in differing white outfits.
“What’s up Hyde Park?” asked Rose, who did most of the talking during the London set, before each of the girls introduced themselves – hardly necessary for a crowd this enthusiastic.
The girls jumped into the bombastic How You Like That, showing off the choreography well known to the fans – affectionately known as Blinks – before moving up the runway for Pretty Savage, Kick It and Whistle.
A troupe of male dancers performed during an interval before the set transitioned into its second act, in which each member performs their solo songs in individual outfits.
Jennie, perhaps the most well-known member internationally due to her role in the controversial HBO show The Idol, is up first, her name flashing across the screens to piercing screams for You & Me and SOLO.
Jisoo, the last member to release her own single, performed Flower, before Rose sang ballad Gone, the most sombre moment of the night, and launched into the more upbeat On The Ground.
White streamers shot up to close Rose’s number, before blowing into the stage to hang like a cobweb for the remainder of the set by a breeze the singer commented on, saying: “London, what a nice breeze you have”.
Last up of the solo performances was Lisa, the strongest performer, who commanded the stage with her charisma – she’s constantly smiling during the 80-minute set – and impressive dance skills for Money.
After another short dance interval – with female performers this time – came ahead of the foursome emerging up from the stage repeating their famous slogan, “Blackpink in your area”, before launching into a string of hits, including BOOMBAYAH, Typa Girl and Shut Down.
Pink heart-shaped lightsticks, present at every Blackpink performance, dotted the crowd of singing fans as darkness falls.
Missing from the electric performance was the military-themed hit Kill This Love, prompting some Blinks watching around the world to express their disappointment on Twitter.
Closing out the night was Forever Young, which had the girls singing “I could die in this moment” as they hugged each other and waved to the crowd before disappearing under the stage.
The girl group followed a series of other acts, including Sabrina Carpenter, The Rose, and Rebecca Black.
Bruce Springsteen is scheduled to headline BST Hyde Park on Thursday with Billy Joel and Lana Del Rey headlining on subsequent days.