Blackpink: K-pop band make “epic Wembley dream” come true

Deadline is billed as a reunion tour, even though it’s only two years since Blackpink last played in London.

In the interim, the band have negotiated a new contract with South Korean agency YG Entertainment (reportedly the most lucrative record deal of 2023), received honorary MBEs from King Charles, and spent a year pursuing solo endeavours.

Rosé teamed up with Bruno Mars for the global smash APT, Lisa starred in The White Lotus, Jennie went viral for her self-referential club hit Like Jennie and Jisoo took the lead role on K-drama Snowdrop.

As a result, the tour alternates between group and solo sections – with British pop star FKA Twigs making a brief cameo eating a scone during a backstage prelude Rosé’s set, for some reason.

But if fans feared that time apart would weaken the band, the tour is proving them wrong.

If anything, the singers’ personalities come through stronger now that they’ve had the opportunity to spread their wings.

Lisa is the rabble-rousing rock star, responsible for Blackpink’s signature attitude, which she undercuts with a few well-timed winks to the camera.

New Zealand-born Rosé is the cheerleader, handling most of the on-stage chat, while harbouring secret ambitions to be Taylor Swift, judging by the semi-acoustic ballads she belts out during her solo set.

Jennie could be your cool older sister, all dark sunglasses and leather jackets, as she swats away her choreography like a pesky house fly.

Jisoo, meanwhile, is the most reserved member, saying precious few words but taking the lion’s share of the high notes and tricky vocal lines.

Like all the best girl groups, every fan can pick a favourite – or bias, in K-pop parlance – who aligns with their own personality.

So while each solo set has a stand-out moment (Like Jennie is so dynamic it could power a small city; and Rosé’s APT is built for a stadium-sized singalong), it’s when they come together as the “One True 4” that Blackpink really shine.

“All gas, no brakes,” as they put it in their comeback single.