On Wednesday, March 26, 2025 (local UK time), Japanese music production company WACK held their fifth overseas concert, “WACK in the UK vol.5,” at the live venue The Underworld in London.

Junnosuke Watanabe, the former head of WACK, stepped down to pursue graduate studies in the UK and currently resides there as a university student. On January 6, 2025, he launched the English-language media outlet “DiG YOUR OWN IDOLS” as honorary editor-in-chief. The platform delivers in-depth content about WACK idols, as well as other Japanese idol groups and idol culture, in English.

Appearing at the fifth edition of “WACK in the UK” were three groups: ASP, who have performed at every edition; GANG PARADE, making their second appearance; and KiSS KiSS, also returning for the second time.

On the day of the show, members held a VIP event in the early afternoon, chatting and taking cheki photos with VIP ticket holders while enjoying light snacks. After rehearsals, the main event kicked off.

While waiting for doors to open, a large number of fans gathered in front of the venue, mingling and enjoying the atmosphere. Fans came not only from London but from across Europe and the United States, and joyful greetings were exchanged among those reuniting. Watanabe also appeared, chatting with fans in English and taking photos together, adding to the friendly vibe.

As the venue opened and showtime approached, Junnosuke Watanabe took the stage to welcome the audience: “Welcome to WACK in the UK vol.5!” He expressed his joy about the performance and introduced the night’s acts in English. After ending with a cheerful “Let’s enjoy!” and exiting the stage, the floor erupted in cheers.

■KiSS KiSS

The show opened with KiSS KiSS, a classic-style five-member idol group formed by GANG PARADE members KiLA MAY, CA NON, CHANGBABY, NARUHAWORLD, and AiNASTAR, under the concept “Bringing KiSS to you Chu!♡”

As the opening SE played and the five members appeared, they kicked off the set with “Rakuen Kyutopia♡.” The KiSSERS (KiSS KiSS fans) responded with loud calls of the classic “moe moe kyun” mix. NARUHA declared, “Let’s do lots of Chu today!” before leading into “KiSSES.” Fans shouted members’ names during the A-melody, and the venue was filled with cheers no less loud than at a show in Japan during “Kawaii nante iwanaide.”

After introducing themselves with, “Bringing KiSS to you Chu!♡ We are KiSS KiSS,” the members greeted fans one by one. NARUHA said, “Hello everyone. We are happy to see you! Today we’ll deliver cuteness! Let’s kiss!” leading into “KiSS KiSS KiSS.” To a techno-inspired beat, the members and KiSSERS shouted “KiSS!” in a rhythmic 3-3-7 pattern.

Next came “KiSS KiSS SUNSET” and the rock-tinged “UTEN KEKKOU.” “Are you enjoy? Let’s dance together!” NARUHA called out before diving into “Twilight.” With eurobeat-style tracks like “Hotchu!”, “Fanfare,” and “iNAi iNAi BA,” the group closed their cheerful set. “That’s all from KiSS KiSS – Bringing KiSS to you Chu!♡ Thank you so much!” they said, leaving the stage.

■ASP

After a 10-minute changeover, ASP took the stage. The seven-member group consists of YUMEKA NOWKANA?, NAMELESS, MOG RYAN, MATiLDER TWiNS, WONKER TWiNS, CCCCCC, and RiONTOWN (NOTE: NAMELESS is currently on hiatus, so six members performed).

ASP, having performed at all previous “WACK in the UK” events, drew an especially high level of excitement from local fans. The crowd was so fired up that visible steam rose in the packed venue.

ASP opened with “Black Nails,” followed by “MAKE A MOVE,” produced by UK-based rock duo WARGASM, and then “BOLLOCKS,” immediately igniting the room with the first three songs.

“Hello everyone! We are ASP from Japan! Nice to meet you!” they greeted, then introduced themselves one by one. Although NAMELESS was absent, the group declared they would “do our best,” and practiced peace sign gestures with ‘NARAZUMONO’ (*a collective term for ASP fans)  before launching into “Let it go.” The chorus saw countless peace signs filling the room.

They continued with four songs in a row: “NO COLOR S,” “NO REASON,” “Tokyo Sky Blues,” and “PLEASE!!!” With the experience of five UK concerts, a 47-prefecture tour across Japan, and a show at Nippon Budokan under their belts, the members captivated the audience not only with their vocals and dance, but also through expressive performances.

“Did you enjoy our show?” they asked, receiving loud cheers in response. “Seeing your smiles from the stage makes us happy. We look forward to singing together again,” they added in English, before wrapping up with the rock anthem “Too young to get it fast to live,” digital tune “TOXiC iNVASiON” (originally by The Prodigy’s Maxim), and their debut song “Haikei Rockstarsama.” By the end, condensation from the collective energy was dripping from the stage.

■GANG PARADE

Closing out “WACK in the UK vol.5” was GANG PARADE. With the theme of “Everyone’s Playground,” the 11-member group features YAMAMACHIMIKI, YUMENOYUA, CAN GP MAIKA, COCO PARTIN COCO, YUI GA DOCKSON, TSUKINOUSAGI, KILA MAY, CHANGBABY, CA NON, NARUHAWORLD, and AiNASTAR.

Cheers erupted as the excited shouts of the members could be heard from backstage. To a bright opening SE, they kicked things off with “FOUL,” the call “BODY & 11 SOUL!” echoing through the venue.

“Nice to meet you! We’re GANG PARADE, Everyone’s Playground – Enjoy Play!” they cheerfully greeted in Japanese and introduced themselves one by one. “Next song is… 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11… wow, So many members!” they joked before launching into the self-intro song “So many members,” fully produced by the three-piece rock band Chounouryokusenshi Dorian.

They followed with the heavy-meets-cute “Peace☆Cho Panic,” the alternative rock track “PassioGila,” and fans shouted Japanese mix calls with fervor.

YUMENOYUA then said in English, “KiSSERS, NARAZUMONO, ASOBININ (*a collective term for GANG PARADE fans) – let’s all have fun together!” before diving into the high-energy early track “Happy Lucky Kirakira Lucky.” The set continued with WACK-style rock number “don’t forget me not,” the Japanese-traditional-meets-digital “Yakudou,” and the hopeful anthem “GOOD LUCK MY FUTURE,” mixing old and new tracks.

COCO announced in English, “Next is the last song. I feel sad,” then smiled and added, “But don’t worry!” before boldly declaring the Terminator quote, “I’ll be back.” Calling out “Let’s dance together!” they closed with their anthem “ROCK wo tomeruna!!” Amid the thunderous cheers, they shouted in Japanese, “That was GANG PARADE – Enjoy Play, Everyone’s Playground! Thank you!” and left the stage.

After the performance, Watanabe returned to the stage and asked, “Did you enjoy?” to which the crowd roared in affirmation. When fans shouted, “Sing!” Watanabe responded by singing one chorus of “My Neighbor Totoro,” drawing warm laughter from the audience.

He then invited all the performers back to the stage for a brief reflection from each group. Announcing an “exciting update,” he revealed that “WACK in the UK vol.6” would take place as a two-day event.

It was announced that Day 1 will feature ASP, ExWHYZ, and MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN. Then, Watanabe teased in English: “Do you know Pour Lui? Do you know Megumi Koshoji? Do you know Seiko Omori?” and revealed that PIGGS, MAPA, and ZOCX (a special formation without Kanano Senritsu, featuring Karen Aizome) would perform, causing the crowd to erupt with cheers. The excitement over the chance to see these idol groups live in person was palpable.

Finally, all performers held hands for WACK’s signature group shout: “We are WACK!” before taking a commemorative photo with the audience, bringing “WACK in the UK vol.5” to a triumphant close.

Now five editions in, “WACK in the UK” has become a space where both performers and audiences immerse themselves in the music without fixating on the fact that they’re in the UK. The show was proof that groove transcends language and borders. This night in particular was so feverish that performers nearly slipped on the sweat-soaked stage.

The upcoming “vol.6” will feature three non-WACK-affiliated acts and be held over two days. The whirlwind of WACK’s vision – from the UK to the world – continues to expand. It was a night that made us believe even more in the power of Japanese idol culture to cross borders and move hearts.

Report & Text by Hiroo Nishizawa