Music

The Rose in London review: Fizzy K-Pop rock group are just getting started and it’s exciting to watch them bloom


Rock group The Rose play London’s Scala (Picture: Sarah Deen/Metro.co.uk)

The Rose have been around for a couple of years and have actually played London before. This sounds like something a hipster would say, but you would only know that if you were into them from the beginning.

For some reason they haven’t got wider recognition, which is surprising as their music doesn’t sound unlike what The Script, The Vamps or 5 Seconds Of Summer are putting out. They are a pleasing mix of the fizzy energy of the latter two and the easy-listening, multi-layered emotion of the former.

Yet The Rose’s own brand of showmanship shone through as the We Rose You tour hit Scala, and would appeal not only to their enthusiastic Black Roses fandom, but to casual listeners too. Candy, Beautiful Girl and She’s In The Rain were swoon-worthy, sugary boy band fodder, but the second half big guns like O.M.G., Sorry and Take Me Down proved the group have attitude the aforementioned UK acts just don’t have. The Rose has got thorns.

This was largely thanks to charismatic frontman Woosung. All cheekbones and quivering vocals; his solo track Face – a burst of pure funk – gave the crowd a kick up the backside with a studded boot. He might have been wearing studded boots, it was difficult to tell through the tide of infuriatingly wide smartphones that went aloft during every song (this writer is also guilty as charged).

Jaehyeong and Hajoon get deep  (Picture: Sarah Deen/Metro.co.uk)

Like many idol groups they delivered a polished performance, but unlike many idol groups this was down to simply being great at what they do rather than years of routine. It felt freer. Woosung, beaming, told us we were ‘loud as f**k’ at the start, and the manic, heavy metal bursts of mosh music to gee up the crowd really delivered.

Similar to the likes of DreamCatcher and Black Pink, the group’s slimline discography would hardly fill a two-hour running time, so we were treated to a fair few covers to make up for it. Their sultry take on Lany’s ILYSB and Woosung warbling Post Malone were highlights. Dojoon covered Hold Back The River beautifully but if we’re being honest, anyone who can play guitar could muster up a decent version. And Hey Jude was low-hanging fruit; tacked on to encourage raucous British audience participation. It worked a charm though.

Dojoon teased Black Roses for not being loud enough during Photographer, but when they broke into a spontaneous reprisal of Red right at the very end, all was forgiven.

The Rose are just getting started and there’s plenty more to come. It’s going to be great watching them bloom.



The Rose in London setlist

I.L.Y

Play Video

Insomnia

Play Video

I Don’t Know You

Candy (So Good)

Beautiful Girl

Like We Used To

California

She’s In The Rain

Breakeven
(The Script cover)

ILYSB
(LANY cover)

Hollywood Is Bleeding
(Post Malone cover)

Hey Jude
(The Beatles cover)

Home

Greed

Hold Back the River
(James Bay cover)

Soldier

Lonely

Face

I Can’t Let You Go

Photographer

O.M.G

Baby

Sorry

Take Me Down

RED





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.