British K-pop fans are bracing for a bumper year of gigs – but worry that short-notice ticket releases and high prices play into the hands of scalpers
Last year, the biggest acts in K-pop largely bypassed Europe on tour, to prioritise the more lucrative US market, which saw BTS hold four shows in Las Vegas. For newer groups held back by the pandemic, local Asian markets were the obvious springboard. But in the coming months, some of the biggest names in the genre will finally visit the UK, to the delight of their devoted British fans. This week the boyband Ateez will headline the O2 Arena, while fellow boyband NCT Dream has just announced a long-awaited London show, and reigning girlband Blackpink will headline their own one-day festival as part of the BST Hyde Park concert series.
But British K-pop stans fear they could miss out on seeing their idols due to the self-contained industry swerving towards short notice on ticket releases. The announcement of tour dates and ticket drops are commonly days apart, leaving some fans without enough time to save money for tickets, travel and hotels: K-pop-rock group the Rose announced their London tour date one day ahead of the pre-sale, and four days ahead of the general sale. “It’s just not enough of a chance to get organised,” says fan Gabii Rayner.
