[MALAYSIA] K-WAVE 3 Music Festival Hits the Spot In Kuala Lumpur

Saturday night in Kuala Lumpur saw the third installment of the K-WAVE Music Festival brought to you by Macpiepro, which have managed to hit the sweet spot with K-pop fans in Malaysia and the region, by offering a multitude of acts with a wide range of appeal – both for new and seasoned fans with various tastes in music – at affordable as well as premium prices.

The day began early at Stadium Malawati with vendors and official event booths holding activities and giveaways for fans eager to make a day of it. The show itself started on time and began with the emcee rousing up the crowd and displaying a respectful knowledge of the acts that were to come onstage later. The stadium layout afforded everyone a good view of the stage with plenty of breathing room for those standing and those seated in the VIP sections.

Sweet and Dynamic
Although certainly not the most recently debuted, beginning the show with WJSN set the tone for an energetic, entertaining night. The Cosmic Girls opened with ‘Dreams Come True’, a fitting tribute to a night filled with stars – and a venue filled with fans, some of whom may only be seeing their faves for the very first time!

Their energy, tight performances and sweet voices filled the stadium and created anticipation for the rest of the night – which they cemented with their songs ‘I Wish’, ‘Starry Moment’ and ‘Secret’. 

They were followed by Jeong Sewoon, fresh from his latest comeback promotions and emanating a quiet confidence as he held the stage on his own for four songs: ‘Just You’, ‘Toc, Toc’, ‘Irony’ and for his finale, the latest single ’20 Something’. Despite seeming like a gentle balladeer, his music had funky and dynamic undertones and helped buoy the energy ahead of the appearance of the rest of the stars.

Hot Hot Hot!
How do you transition from youthful sweetness and dynamism to something a little more… hot and spicy? With AOA of course!

With their special brand of sweet and sexy, AOA began their set with their latest summer sensation ‘Bingle Bangle’, going into the smouldering ‘Excuse Me’ before upping the siren factor with ‘Bing Bing’. Despite their sultry music, the members displayed a sweet cheerfulness when interacting with the audience, apologising for the absence of Mina who had been admitted to hospital and expressing their delight to be able to perform onstage in Malaysia. Nowhere else to go but up on the spicy scale, and they finished off their set with the classics, ‘Like A Cat’, ‘Miniskirt’ and ‘Heart Attack’.

After bringing the atmosphere to a boil, BOYFRIEND came onstage and brought it down to a gentle simmer with their song ‘Star’. They have a youthful appeal, despite being one of the older groups in the lineup, and their next song ‘Obsession’ showed off their seasoned smoothness mixed with their boyish energy. After a quick chat to express their happiness that they were able to celebrate their 7th anniversary in Malaysia, they continued with the crowd-pleasing ‘I’ll Be There’. After that they ended with ‘I Yah’, a tough, throbbing anthem laced with rock guitar licks and wall-of-sound vocals.

Burn It Up
When we think of EXID we first think, hot and sexy vocal prowess, right? When they burst on the stage with ‘Lady’ this image was shaken somewhat with Hyelin struggling cutely to find her way on to the stage from behind the black curtains!

Joking about it during their break, they thanked the audience for the support they received, as well as the other acts that evening, segueing neatly into their next song, the ultra-sophisticated disco lounge track ‘Night Rather Than Day’. Then they followed with all their sexy hits: ‘Ah Yeah’, ‘Hot Pink’ and finally the crowd’s sinful favourite, ‘Up & Down’!

Who else can match EXID’s intense sex appeal but MONSTA X! Clad in sexy white suits, the boys began with ‘Dramarama’ – proving that muscle and swagger combined with vocal prowess is a potent combination indeed! 

They continued with the tropical dance track ‘From Zero’ before taking a breather to chat with the audience in three languages (Korean, English and Malay), displaying a relaxed confidence and basking in the full adoration from the crowd, even playfully posing with the fan-made banners they fished from the ones in front. Then they launched into ‘White Love’, to the delight of MONBEBEs, followed by the not-so-quiet ‘Be Quiet’ and ‘Special’. Finally, they finished with the stomping ‘Jealousy’, leaving the audience’s appetites whetted for the last act of the night.

Sound Supernova
Any doubts that FTISLAND might not fit with the rest of K-pop line up, was put to rest even before they came onstage. Malaysian K-pop fans and Primadonnas alike were cheering for the band as soon as the lights went down before they started!

The veteran band swaggered onstage with a confidence and individual style that only a band used to paving their own way with masterful execution and control could do, beginning with the rollicking ‘Pray’ and following up with ‘Out of Love’.

Immediately the audience was hit with two sensations: the soundscape of guitars and drums and Hong Ki’s powerful voice and charismatic presence. As the show went on, their execution as musicians came to the fore, with amazing showmanship and technical excellence impressing everyone in the stadium. 

Hong Ki expressed their happiness to be playing in Malaysia and promised to return with their own concert at some point in the future. He also promised to play some exciting music because it was already late! This was before launching into their freshly-promoted new single “Summer Night’s Dream”, the most pop-sounding of the songs on their setlist. It starts off with a gentle, pleasant reggae beat that amps up into a banger of a rock song – and it really got the crowd going. 

After, they followed with the English-language ‘Champagne’, where Hong Ki came forward and played with the crowd a little bit, getting them to sing in a call-and-response with him. They followed with ‘The Night’ before ending the night with the pounding and enigmatic ‘Take Me Now’. If there were any K-pop fans not expecting to be treated to this rock-fantastic soundscape delight, they surely were pleased the band could top off a great night out this way!

It was definitely a magical night with non-stop amazing performances and we look forward to the next K-WAVE Music Festival and other forthcoming events by Macpiepro and Mcalls! 🙂

Written by: Christina O.
Photo Credit:  Macpiepro

**

PATRONISE US: http://www.theseoulstory.com/
TWEET US: http://www.twitter.com/theseoulstory
LIKE US: http://www.facebook.com/theseoulstorydotcom
WATCH US: http://www.youtube.com/c/theseoulstory