“London, are you ready to party?” They certainly are. The moment the house lights drop, everyone is up on their feet and the floor seats are abandoned. A spaceship flies across the screens, whisking the audience into a distant galaxy, while at the back of the stage, seven cloaked figures emerge on a scissor lift. They stand with their backs to the audience before turning to reveal vibrant, intergalactic outfits – an appropriately theatrical entrance for a group determined to exist somewhere beyond the boundaries of pop.
Formed through XGALX, the septet – Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Harvey, Juria, Maya, and Cocona – have spent years training for moments like this. They’ve set their sights on dominating the industry as a global force, and their return to the OVO was an example of that thriving ambition.
When the group last appeared here in November 2024, they filled out their set with 14 covers, their catalogue still relatively sparse. Since then, they have headlined Coachella’s Sahara Stage, filled Tokyo Dome with 50,000 fans, and released their first full-length album, THE CORE, in January. Tonight, the scale of their show reflects that rapid rise.
The production is enormous. The main stage snakes into the audience through an extended “L” runway, which the seven members repeatedly catwalk, strut, and march down in perfect unison. There are cameras everywhere – onstage, offstage, and along the runway – picking up a perfectly timed wave here, a playful smile there. Over by the sound system, there’s an entire control room’s worth of technology cutting the footage together with the precision of live television.
The arena becomes a sea of lightsticks as people of all ages and backgrounds dance, wave their hands and throw themselves into the performance. XG are feisty, fearless, and despite barely pausing for breath – there is another formation, another camera, another costume change, another note to hit – they’re clearly having fun. While the members move across the stage as one, almost every movement is subtly tailored to their individual personalities and sass.
From “Hypnotise” to “GALA” and “IYKYK”, the set is full of club-ready anthems and much of the group’s debut album. But their commitment to their self-defined ‘X-pop’ shines through in the latter half. The setlist blends rock, R&B, and rap, and it’s an ambitious, genre-hopping ride that proves they’re set on building something entirely their own.
This commitment to pushing boundaries is central to their identity, and it’s a mission they are clearly determined to own. As the group got ready for their next costume change, an onscreen quote read: ‘What we were is gone. But what we are becoming will shine brighter than anything we could imagine.’ That message carries even more weight following the group’s recent rebranding from ‘Xtraordinary Girls’ to ‘Xtraordinary Genes’ – a shift that, along with Cocona’s recent coming out as transmasculine non-binary, marks a period of authentic evolution.
Towards the end of the show, the woman sitting next to me tells me her friend wore a skirt for the first time because of Cocona: “If I was going to do it anytime, it felt right to do it here.” It’s impossible not to be swept up in such bold, good-natured, and joyful energy. It might cost you £155 for a hoodie or £50 for a lightstick, making it an expensive club to join, but it isn’t an exclusive one. So, consider me a convert.
THE CORE is out now
Words by Lauren Edwards
