{"id":555663,"date":"2026-03-21T21:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T21:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/555663\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T21:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T21:17:08","slug":"bts-review-having-lost-none-of-their-chemistry-this-is-a-comeback-of-epic-proportions-bts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/555663\/","title":{"rendered":"BTS review \u2013 having lost none of their chemistry, this is a comeback of epic proportions | BTS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnnyeong Seoul. We\u2019re back.\u201d A drone soars over the South Korean capital, revealing 100,000 screaming fans filling the city\u2019s historic Gwanghwamun Square.<\/p>\n

With the palace gates behind them, RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook stand swathed in leather, game-faces fixed, ready to perform as a group for the first time in four years. Streaming live via Netflix to 190 countries, this is a comeback of epic proportions \u2013 but BTS<\/a> have always known how to put on a show.<\/p>\n

The beat drops for swaggering new song Body to Body and the seven stars spring into action; one camera tracking the front row is knocked to the ground in the frenzy. \u201cI need the whole stadium to jump,\u201d RM commands, before revising his lyrics: \u201cThe whole city!\u201d<\/p>\n

The band performed a free concert in Seoul\u2019s historic Gwanghwamun Square. Photograph: Jeon Heon-Kyun\/EPA<\/p>\n

Since their farewell concert in October 2022, which streamed to 50 million viewers, the group has completed compulsory military service \u2013 but also taken a much-needed breather from the limelight, after telling fans they wanted \u201ctime to think\u201d about their musical identity.<\/p>\n

The result is new album Arirang<\/a>, which folds the melody and mythology of a 600-year-old folk song into an EDM call to the dancefloor. During Body to Body, the camera pans to pansori singers who lead the crowd through the historical ballad, while j-hope crows that \u201cit feels like it\u2019s brand new\u201d on 2.0, a rap-forward assertion of strength for the group\u2019s new era.<\/p>\n

Tonight they showcase eight of 13 new tracks, all with cool confidence. Hooligan makes a provocative call for \u201cbetter pop\u201d over a beat that sounds like knives sharpening, while the revved-up, bass-heavy FYA promises to be an incendiary live favourite when their 82-date world tour rolls into London this summer.<\/p>\n

Lead single Swim is mellow and sultry by comparison, with fluid choreography that underscores the song\u2019s message of perseverance better than its stylish, perfume advert-adjacent music video. On record, Normal \u2013 a song about the pitfalls of fame \u2013 doesn\u2019t reach the boil, but tonight the group give it real feeling, with vocalist Jin leaning into the song\u2019s rockier edges.<\/p>\n

RM performed on a swivel chair, after picking up an ankle injury in rehearsal. Photograph: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Most importantly, neither the time spent apart nor the gravitas of the occasion has damaged the band\u2019s chemistry. As they goof around during their mega-hit Butter, spinning RM on a swivel chair (he picked up an ankle injury in rehearsal), it barely feels like the eyes of the world are upon them.<\/p>\n

Snapping back to business, Suga formally thanks the city of Seoul for permitting the gig, as well as assorted \u201cstakeholders\u201d: it\u2019s perhaps not a coincidence that the evening\u2019s only corporate-speak precedes the polished smile and feelgood disco cheese of Dynamite, the inescapable English-language single that rocketed them to a new stratosphere of fame in 2020.<\/p>\n

After the final na-na-na-nas, the group turn to leave \u2013 but it\u2019s a fake-out. \u201cWe can\u2019t end it like this,\u201d they laugh. Instead they finish on Mikrokosmos, a sentimental fan-favourite from 2019, which sparks a galaxy of purple lights stretching deep into the night. The seven hold hands, give a final bow, and pause for just a moment, facing the start of their second chapter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAnnyeong Seoul. We\u2019re back.\u201d A drone soars over the South Korean capital, revealing 100,000 screaming fans filling the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-555663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}