After upgrading from 300-capacity Colours Hoxton to 2000-capacity Outernet Live due to sheer demand, are proof that internet points do indeed translate to ticket sales on the other side of the world. The five-piece J-pop girl group have found online notoriety through memes and a nostalgic 2010s aesthetic, which fans emulated with pastel-coloured outfits, oversized anime eye sunglasses and t-shirts declaring they were “#healing”.
The show opened explosively with ‘Underground’ followed by ‘Magic Clock’ as f5ve made their way through the track list of their , with polished choreography and vocal harmony. Knowing pop culture references were of the utmost importance, members Sayaka, Ruri, Miyuu, Rui and Kaede (“A.K.A. Bob Diva,” her words) came armed with plenty of internet buzzwords to earn whoops from the audience, which only doubled when Kaede announced “you guys are so peng!”
Earlier this month, a series of messages on f5ve’s TikTok board expressed frustration at not having recorded new music since 2024. It’s only by the skin of their teeth and the help of their close-knit team that f5ve have pulled off this tour. Within that context, the audience were suitably giddy when the group debuted two unreleased songs live, ‘2much’ and ‘Girlies’, both previously only available to the lucky winners of an iPod giveaway earlier this year. The tracks are a natural continuation of singles ‘I Choose You’ and ‘Sugar Free Venom’, club-ready and perfect for a girls’ night out.
Exclusive songs weren’t the only special treat f5ve had prepared for the night. ‘UFO’ was followed by the and remix from ‘SEQUENCE 01.5’, including a special appearance from themself to sing their verse. Every hyperpop influence, from producer collabs to the pre-show playlist, showed f5ve have their finger on the pulse of current musical trends. However, few other artists are so in tune with their fans’ taste and sense of humour, evident not only in their online presence but live too.
In the adjacent K-pop space, artists tend to cover English language songs on world tours. f5ve took a different approach, choosing classic J-pop songs to bring a slice of Tokyo to London. Ruri’s cover of the iconic city pop track ‘Stay with Me’ by and cover of ‘Simple and Clean’ by boasted beautiful vocals, which were further enhanced when the crowd joined in to belt the Japanese lyrics. Kaede, Sayaka and Miyuu rounded off the homage with ‘Electro World’ by Perfume, again proving that f5ve know exactly who their forefathers are and who to take inspiration from.
As the concert reached its conclusion, the setlist ended with none other than ‘I Choose You’, undeniably f5ve’s most popular song. There was palpable emotion in the air, thanks in part to the girls’ tearful goodbye but also the song’s nostalgic and hopeful feeling. As the members sang “Any life, any galaxy, I choose you every time,” thousands of voices sang it back as a promise of support no matter how long they might have to wait for their next album.
The night felt like a true cultural exchange. London is a special place for f5ve – the city hosted their first overseas concert and now their first fan meet. While the members were excited to share that they’d visited Nando’s the previous night, they were equally generous in sharing music from their home country. f5ve may be the queens of internet, but that exchange forged a genuine connection only possible face-to-face.