REVIEW - STAYC make their Australian debut in style

Prior to the concert even beginning, the atmosphere in the Fortitude Music Hall was unmatched. Fans were gathered at the stage with their light-sticks, chatting excitedly about what was to come and giving away free homemade photocard holders to other fans. I saw people filling with joy and it only further enhanced the mood in the room, giving everyone a taste of the quintessential K-Pop experience. Slowly the lights dim, the music fades and the crowd goes wild.

STAYC started the night off strong, strutting onto stage and power posing in gorgeous white outfits with silver detailing. Each member was given the spotlight, everyone cheering for their bias with all their energy. They started out the concert with their most recent song 'BEBE', delivering a flawless performance with energetic choreography and strong vocals. Followed up by '1 Thing' and 'Poppy', the girls had the crowd singing and dancing along like they were auditioning to be idols themselves. 

After this, it was time for their introductions. One by one, we were introduced to Sieun, J, ISA, Sumin, Yoon and Seeun, each of them wishing for a fun and energetic night. We were greeted with “g’day, Queenslanders” and the classic “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi” call and response we all know and love. After getting to know the members a little, they retreated off stage to change into their next outfits while a VCR played to keep the crowd hyped.

We continued this format throughout the night, with 3 songs performed followed by a quick conversation with the girls and a costume change. We saw unit performances, slow ballads and energetic hits. Throughout the entire night, STAYC showed us a consistently strong and energetic performance both vocally and physically. 

During 'Bubble', the audience had the joy of dancing and singing along surrounded by bubbles that were being propelled at us directly from the hands of the ethereal women on stage. 

We even had the privilege of getting a teaser for their new comeback title track I Want It, being released July 23rd. They kept it humorous, singing "I Want It" along to the tune of Happy Birthday, and showed us a couple of seconds of choreography with the intro music to the song playing. You could feel the excitement and anticipation radiating from the audience, and the cheers continued to get louder the longer the night went on.

The crowd got their own chance at fame, with some of STAYC’s most popular tracks playing while the fans were displayed on the screen singing and dancing along. We all cheered and clapped for each other just as loud as we had for STAYC, and everyone was in great spirits.

But like all things, the concert was coming to its inevitable end. The girls were emotional and told us that, even though they were sad to see it end, they would definitely be coming back and hoped that we’d meet them again next time. They closed out the concert singing 'Stay WITH me', a song specifically for SWITH (their fans). 

Overall, STAYC delivered what had to be the strongest live performance I’ve seen all year. All of their vocals and choreography left SWITH in awe at their raw talent. As Sieun said in one of her fan-chats, despite differences in language and culture, the universal language of music transcended all of them and brought all of us together that night. 

The gallery for the night is available here.