Welcome back to another edition of Weekly Music Shows! While there were quite a few releases this week, music shows did not see many new additions in terms of performances, with the exceptions being DIA’s return with “On the Road” and Baechigi’s new song “Hangover.” However, one large happening that did occur was the Suwon K-pop Super Concert, a large outdoor concert held by The Show on Saturday. In terms of the week’s winners, aside from EXID’s win with “L.I.E” on The Show, Exo singlehandedly swept the first places of all music shows, which included the notable feat of achieving a full score on Inkigayo. Without further ado, here are my favourite performances from this week; please do comment with your picks below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rHSZ5pvq1A
Exo’s “Monster,” KBS Music Bank, June 17, 2016
I would argue Exo have outdone themselves this comeback – “Monster” both involves a killer song and an equally intense choreography, which makes their stages incredibly fascinating to watch. On top of this, the camerawork for Music Bank is particularly impressive, successfully capturing the many point choreographies in the dance – such as X formation and the rotating move – without missing out on the members being totally extra (in a good way) with their expressions and gestures, which further draws the viewers in. In addition, while this comeback cycle has already seen it’s fair share of good and bad styling, the black and red outfits for this performance match the set (and Chanyeol’s hair) quite nicely; the members’ lives have also become impressively stable, as they are demonstrating with their recent stages.
Monsta X’s “All In,” MBC Music Core, June 18, 2016
Speaking of intense choreographies, Monsta X is another group whose live performances are a blast to watch. While some groups may attempt to avoid an overly cluttered stage to keep the choreography organised, Monsta X’s stages for this comeback use an abundance of backup dancers, and pull it off in a way that adds to their performance. The main reason for this is likely the impressive synchronisation between all performers on stage, and the members’ eased expressions despite the difficult choreography.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4GAlrVbFS0
CLC’s “No Oh Oh,” KBS Music Bank, June 17, 2016
CLC’s releases have been under the radar for some time despite impressing with “Pepe,” but the quality of “No Oh Oh” as a song seems to be up there with their debut song. What I love about CLC’s performances is how their choreographies highlight the smallest details of the song, and with “No Oh Oh,” the whistle motif give viewers something to remember their performance by. In addition, the song does a good job of both showing off the members’ cuteness and quirky charm, but also allowing the main vocals to show off their powerful vocals in the chorus. It’s a shame that Eunbin was recently announced to be halting promotions due to health issues, but I’m wishing the group all the best in pushing forwards with this comeback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV3MDjH2yOw
Oh My Girl’s “Windy Day,” SBS Inkigayo, June 19, 2016
Oh My Girl has been amongst our weekly music show picks a number of times already thanks to their creative choreography for “Windy Day,” but this week the group’s styling is too gorgeous to ignore. This week had the girls wearing a selection of interesting headwear from pinwheel headbands to deer horns to the straw hats featured in this performance, and the simple but well thought out styling brings out the members’ beauty. There’s also the consistent ribbons tied above the elbows, which highlights the intricate arm movements in the choreography, giving their stages a fantastical feeling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOSc5RGaD-k
Lee Seung-chul and Eunji’s “Fate,” KBS Immortal Song, June 18, 2016
Apart from technique, one other main factor a vocalist is often judged by is their emotion, and this performance by Lee Seung-chul and Eunji is definitely emotional to say the least. You could tell that at some parts of the song, Eunji was close to tears, and despite not causing her voice to waver, it showed in her delivery. This performance is simple, with a lack of vocal acrobatics and only a crescendo highlighting the climax of the song. However, Lee Seung-chul and Eunji’s warm vocal colours and how they blend when the two harmonise are enough to make this performance a memorable one.
