Three years is a long time in K-pop. When KARD last played London, on September 6, 2023, the group were bringing their Playground world tour to Camden’s Electric Ballroom, riding the momentum of “ICKY” and another chapter in a career already distinguished by its rarity: four members, two women and two men, who have spent almost a decade as a cohesive creative unit.

At O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, the demand is immediately apparent. The floor is packed to the point that security intervenes, encouraging fans to move closer together to create more space. It is an unusually physical manifestation of KARD’s enduring appeal: four performers whose greatest strength has always been the chemistry between them. They make that point immediately with the opening trio of classic hits. “Oh NaNa”, “Don’t Recall” and “Rumor” open the show in rapid succession, a run of songs that effectively maps the foundations of KARD’s identity. There is no need to introduce the group; the audience knows exactly what it came for. BM, the group’s fluent English speaker and natural MC, takes control of the first ment, while J.Seph, Somin and Jiwoo effortlessly play off his energy.

From there, NOW HERE In London moves through the different facets of KARD’s catalogue, with “Hola Hola”, “Dímelo”, “HOLD ON”, “RED MOON” and “You in Me” demonstrating just how much ground the group have covered since their debut. But the most revealing section comes midway through the show, when KARD temporarily disappears as a collective and each member gets the stage to themselves.

J.Seph’s “BOTTOMS UP” is effortlessly cool, leaning into the understated charisma that has always distinguished his performances. Somin’s “Backseat” is more physically commanding, a reminder that she possesses the sheer performance instincts of a pop star. Jiwoo takes things somewhere moodier with “Home Sweet Home”, while BM’s “Nectar” turns the temperature back up, using his sensuality and crowd control to send the room into overdrive. The sequence illuminates why the group works in the first place: each member brings something distinctly their own, and the chemistry becomes more apparent once those individual personalities have been given room to breathe.

By the time “ICKY” and “Cake” arrive, there is little doubt that KARD have saved some of their biggest weapons for the closing stretch. Both songs trigger the kind of immediate audience response that only comes from established fan favourites. “ICKY”, in particular, still possesses the slinky, slightly dangerous quality that has become central to KARD’s musical identity, while “Cake” pushes the room into full celebration.

One specific moment changed the room’s atmosphere. During the closing ment, BM tells London that the group’s 10-year contract is coming to an end – but he is quick to draw a distinction between the end of a contract and the end of KARD itself. “A contract doesn't define whether a team stays together or not,” he says to thunderous applause and a standing ovation, before describing the possibility that, whatever happens, the four members will always find their way back to “one road”. He even floated the possibility of returning to London individually, as solo artists. It is an unexpectedly vulnerable moment from a group whose performances are otherwise built around confidence, swagger and control.

J.Seph offers another glimpse behind the curtain, revealing that even his mother did not know where he was until she called and discovered he was in London. He also tells the crowd that the journey to the show had been difficult, with the members travelling by train and almost wondering whether they would make it onto the stage at all. They had apparently been asleep just ten minutes before the show. And yet, there they are: four performers in complete command of a room overflowing with people who have followed them for years, as BM’s opening survey of how long the audience had been KARD fans for makes clear. From fans who had been there since the beginning to those who had discovered them more recently, the response is a reminder of just how enduring that connection has become.

“DUMB LITTY” provides the final burst of release, landing in the encore alongside “Signal” and ultimately “Back To Life”. It is an appropriately euphoric send-off, but the most lasting impression is not the possibility of an ending. It is the sense that KARD have already built something capable of surviving one.

Ten years can change a group. Contracts and career trajectories can change. But watching KARD together in London, the chemistry that made them distinctive in the first place remains remarkably intact.