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In another life, Jin would still be a superstar. Instead of being one-seventh of BTS, though, he’d be the affable host of a variety show, turning charisma and humour into ratings gold. Tonight, at the first of two London shows on his ‘#RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR’ outing, he lives that fantasy.
This is not your typical concert, nor your usual K-pop extravaganza. Instead, it feels like you’re inside an episode of Jin’s Run Jin series, the web show he created as a spin-off from BTS’ own Run BTS. The logo for the programme remains in the corner of the big screens throughout the night, and when the singer first appears on stage for buoyant versions of ‘Running Wild’ and ‘I’ll Be There’, he jumps around a lightning-shaped podium with a big game-show style button on it.
Between performances, he leads the crowd in a series of “challenges” – a telepathy game where he has to guess a word through fans’ gestures alone, another where he has to figure out the song from the crowd’s a cappella singing. “Korean’s difficult for you too, huh?” he quips after fans struggle to recreate the rap verses in ‘Boy With Luv’. Compared to the usual flash of K-pop shows, where dramatic, cinematic VCRs often appear at regular intervals to uphold the narrative of the night, Jin’s is refreshingly down-to-earth, with only one video game-themed clip running right before the encore.
Jin’s performances aren’t without some extra razzle-dazzle, though. Many come accompanied by pyrotechnics and explosions of streamers, or during a snippet of BTS’ ‘Dynamite’, rainbow-coloured confetti explosions that mirror a scene in the music video. ‘Super Tuna’, meanwhile, sees him performing dressed in an inflatable alien costume – a “prize” the crowd earns during the first game of the evening. As he finds out what he’ll be wearing, he tilts his head and laughingly winces, as if bemusedly regretting his choices leading up to this moment.
The challenges and games – and Jin the variety host – are only half of the night’s story. On the flipside is the role that Jin is more commonly known for – phenomenal performer. He shines brightest when he’s engaged in emotionally rich songs, like a beautiful rendition of ‘Abyss’, which finds him seated at a paint-splattered purple piano, lost in the melancholy of the song. He’s equally commanding for the thundering ‘Another Level’, but ‘Rope It’’s endless lasso moves, his arm circling his head, becomes a little awkward.
As fun as the rest of the show is, it’s the closing section – no games, just quality songs – that really hits. A medley of BTS songs – the aforementioned ‘Dynamite’, ‘Butter’, ‘Mikrokosmos’ and ‘Spring Day’ – is received rapturously, fans screaming back every word of each song. ‘The Astronaut’, ‘Epiphany’ and ‘Moon’, meanwhile, showcase what Jin does best – soaring, sentimental songs that allow his voice to dazzle.
Before he wraps up the show for good with a sweet version of ‘To Me, Today’, he takes a moment to reflect. “I think five or six years ago, we sang ‘Epiphany’ here, right?” he says, referring to BTS’ 2018 concerts at this same venue. As he continues, he promises to come back “next time” – a pledge that whips up even more excitement in the stands, given his group’s impending March 2026 return. As a badge he wears at the start of the concert declares, stay tuned for that, and the burgeoning growth of Jin’s fun-filled solo career.
‘Running Wild’
‘I’ll Be There’
‘With The Clouds’
‘Falling’
‘Don’t Say You Love Me’
‘Super Tuna’
‘I Will Come To You’
‘Abyss’
‘Background’
‘Another Level’
‘Loser’
‘Rope It’
‘Dynamite’ / ‘Butter’ / ‘Mikrokosmos’ / ‘Spring Day’
‘The Astronaut’
‘Nothing Without Your Love’
‘Epiphany’
‘Moon’
‘To Me, Today’
LIVE REVIEWS
Slayyyter played her take on Turnstile’s ‘Birds’ onstage for the first time in Atlanta. You can watch footage of the performance below.
Slayyyter is currently touring with her ‘Wor$t Girl In The World’ show. She added the cover to her set at The Eastern on Monday night (September 21).
She sang ‘Birds: Slayyyter Version’ near the end of the main set, following ‘Brittany Murphy’. She then came back for an encore featuring ‘Brand New Chanel$’ and ‘Beat Up Chanel$’.
It was her first live performance of the song. She originally recorded it for Turnstile’s ‘Never Enough: Versions’, a collection of reworked tracks released on August 28.
The 22 track release brings together new interpretations of songs from Turnstile’s fourth album. Contributors include Elton John, Hayley Williams, Blood Orange, A. G. Cook, Faye Webster, Four Tet, Oklou, Floating Points, Nourished By Time, Alex G, Julien Baker and Mustafa.
Panda Bear recorded a new take on ‘Magic Man’, while Dying Fetus gave ‘Birds’ another interpretation rooted in death metal.
See Slayyyter perform the track live and listen to her studio recording here:
Slayyyter trades the original song’s hardcore intensity for a bigger electronic sound that feels at home alongside her latest album, ‘Wor$t Girl In America’.
Turnstile first released ‘Birds’ on their 2025 album ‘Never Enough’. The song won Best Metal Performance at the 2026 Grammy Awards, where the album also won Best Rock Album.
In its five star review of ‘Never Enough’, NME pointed to ‘Birds’ and ‘Sole’ as reminders of Turnstile’s hardcore beginnings. It also praised the album for “furthering their unique, pop-facing take on hardcore”.
Slayyyter will join Turnstile on another stage next month. She and Die Spitz are set to support the band at the University of Kansas in Lawrence on October 6 for the ‘Never Enough Tour Pt. 2’.
It has been a big year for Slayyyter. Her third album, ‘Wor$t Girl In America’, came out in March, and NME’s review highlighted its mix of “brash, sleazy pop” and late 2000s indie sleaze sounds.
Last month, she performed Hole’s ‘Violet’ for triple J’s Like A Version. Courtney Love called the cover “a delight” and encouraged Slayyyter to “keep wiping the floors with us”.
A few weeks later, Slayyyter took ‘Wor$t Girl In America’ to Reading Festival. NME’s live review declared that there was “undoubtedly a star before us on stage” and praised her “rasped, rocked-up delivery” and growing confidence as a performer.
