XLOV Bring K-Pop to Wolverhampton for the First Time
At the first ever K-pop concert to be held in Wolverhampton, rising group XLOV proved exactly why they’re one of the most exciting new acts in the scene right now.
“Well, that wasn’t on my K-pop in the UK bingo card.”
It’s a phrase I seem to use more and more every year. And for good reason. K-pop continues to grow across the UK, and with that growth comes a steady stream of new “firsts”.
But if you had told 15-year-old me back in 2012 that a K-pop group would one day perform in Wolverhampton, I would have screamed with excitement.
Fast forward to October 2025, when XLOV announced their first full European tour.
I scanned the tour poster once. Then again.
Then I blinked a few times just to be sure.
Because there it was, sitting proudly in the middle of the schedule:
The Halls Wolverhampton.
Wolverhampton.
XLOV’s UK run would begin in London before moving on to Wolverhampton on 11th February 2026 and Manchester the following day.
Demand for the group had already been enormous. Their London show had been upgraded twice before finally landing at Troxy, and even then the concert still sold out.
But as a K-pop fan from the West Midlands, I still felt cautiously optimistic.
K-pop concerts outside London haven’t always had the easiest history.
Back in 2017, G-Dragon brought his Act III: M.O.T.T.E world tour to Birmingham’s Genting Arena. At the time I was a student and the ticket prices alone made me hesitate. Ironically, that ended up being the first concert I attended as press after receiving complimentary coverage tickets.
But when the show began, the half-empty arena told a story.
The cheapest seats at the back were filled, but the more expensive sections toward the front remained noticeably empty. As the music started, fans rushed forward in one huge wave to fill the gaps.
It was actually quite awe-inspiring to watch.
Still, in that moment I had a sinking feeling it might be a long time before organisers trusted the Midlands again.
And in many ways, it was.
It took more than seven years before another K-pop act returned to the region, when co-ed group KARD performed at O2 Academy Birmingham in 2024.
So when XLOV announced Wolverhampton less than a year later, it genuinely felt like something had shifted.
By the time the lights dimmed inside The Halls Wolverhampton, any doubts about demand had disappeared.
All three levels of the venue were open and packed with fans of all ages and styles. As is often the case with K-pop concerts, the crowd itself felt like part of the show.
As I made my way into the photography pit at the front of the stage, I had a chance to chat with fans along the barricade. Some had flown in from abroad for the show. Others were travelling across England attending every stop of the tour.
Having done the same myself for a favourite group in the past, I recognised that familiar sparkle of dedication in their eyes.
To my delight, there were plenty of Midlanders too. Several fans mentioned how refreshing it felt to attend a K-pop concert without automatically needing to book a hotel room. As someone from nearby Shropshire, I couldn’t agree more.
At the beginning of the show, the members mentioned something they had apparently been told backstage before going on. They brought it up with a hint of disbelief, saying they had heard that XLOV might actually be the first K-pop group ever to perform in Wolverhampton.
They sounded almost unsure as they said it, as if double-checking the fact with the room.
The crowd responded immediately with loud cheers.
Yes. They truly were.
The anticipation inside the venue had been building throughout the pre-show playlist, which blasted XLOV’s own music across the speakers.
Fans filled the time by hyping each other up. Whenever someone stood to perform the choreography, the surrounding audience cheered them on.
Then the lights dropped.
The stage lit up.
And XLOV burst into their opening track Rizz, instantly sending the room into a frenzy.
They followed with I’mma Be and 1 of LOV, setting the tone for a high-energy show that barely slowed down.
One of the perks of seeing a newer group with a smaller discography is that you have a good chance of hearing almost every song they’ve released.
XLOV leaned into that advantage, balancing their own music with a series of fun cover stages.
Two standout unit performances included Gashina by SUNMI and Mamushi by Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba, both of which showcased different sides of the group’s performance style.
The four members later reunited to perform Lovesick Girls by BLACKPINK, a crowd-pleasing moment that had the audience cheering loudly.
Returning to their own catalogue, the group continued with BIZNESS, Scent, and Kiss and Say Goodbye, before surprising fans with a cover of Angel Baby by Troye Sivan.
The final stretch of the show included Dirty Baby, Drip Drip, and their most recognisable track 1&Only, which the crowd sang along to enthusiastically.
For the encore, XLOV returned to the stage to perform Biii:-p, closing the night on an energetic high.
One detail I found surprisingly noticeable during the show was something I hadn’t consciously thought about in my 13 years of attending K-pop concerts.
XLOV doesn’t have an official lightstick yet.
For those unfamiliar with K-pop concerts, lightsticks are artist-specific glowing batons that fans bring to shows, creating a unified ocean of colour across the venue.
Without that, the crowd looked slightly different.
Instead of one coordinated glow, there were scattered lightsticks from other fandoms, a few glowsticks, and of course the inevitable NCT lightstick (iykyk) making an appearance somewhere in the crowd.
It didn’t affect the atmosphere of the concert at all. But it did make me realise just how symbolic that unified colour has become within K-pop culture. It’s something you only fully appreciate when it isn’t there.
Given XLOV’s rapidly growing popularity, I doubt fans will be waiting long for an official design.
Walking out of the venue that night, I still couldn’t quite believe what had happened.
A K-pop concert. In Wolverhampton. For fans across the Midlands, it felt like a genuine milestone.
And more importantly, it showed that demand for K-pop outside London is very real. UK fans are already lucky to get concerts at all, even if most still happen in London. But seeing more shows spread across the country, including Scotland and Ireland this year, is incredibly encouraging.
Now we just need someone to bring a show to Wales! Any takers?
