ONE OK ROCK LIVE AT LONDON’S OVO WEMBLEY ARENA

★★★★★ (5/5)

**ONE OK ROCK LIVE AT LONDON'S OVO WEMBLEY ARENA**
**PHOTOCREDIT: MAGGIE ZHU**

A bit over a year since their last visit, ONE OK ROCK returned to the UK with a sold-out night at Wembley Arena on October 11th. This was their only stop in the UK for their Premonition Tour. The arena was packed with energy, easily making it a night that would be hard to forget.

ONE OK ROCK is a four-piece Japanese rock band known for their energetic performance and versatile sound. Formed in 2005, the band consists of lead vocalist Taka, guitarist Toru, bassist Ryota, and drummer Tomoya. Now a global sensation, ONE OK ROCK has captivated audience worldwide with their powerful music and dynamic stage presence.

Their powerful energy was on full display last Friday night at OVO Wembley Arena. As the lights dimmed, the performance began with a short introduction video and a message from the band to their worldwide audience. Soon after, the members emerged one by one, with lead singer Taka appearing last with a black gas mask. The band kicked off the show with their most recent release from earlier this year, “Delusion:All”. They quickly followed with “Deeper Deeper”, “Taking Off”, and “Save Yourself”, bringing 100% energy, which sent the entire crowd into a roar of excitement.

After four high-energy songs, the band took a break, each member taking turns to greet the audience and hype up the crowd. Drummer Tomoya hollered into the mic, “I love Cheeky Nandos! I love Heinz baked beans! I love Ed Sheeran!” Little did the Wembley audience know that Ed Sheeran would soon make a special appearance three songs later. The band continues the show with “Vandalize”, “Make It Out Alive”, and “Renegades”—three powerhouse performances that sent the excitement of the night soaring through the roof. Taka held his mic out to the crowd during the bridge of “Vandalize” for a sing-along. He screamed "break it down" during “Make It Out Alive”, igniting the entire arena into headbanging to the flashy guitar riffs, heart-thumping bass, and energetic drums. Following “Renegades”, which the band wrote with Ed Sheeran, Taka took a moment to express his gratitude for the opportunities the band has had touring the world, meeting people, and making friends. He then introduced Ed as their best friend. The global superstar joined Taka and Toru on stage to perform a beautiful acoustic version of “Wherever You Are”. Ed sang in Japanese, and the harmonies between him and Taka left the entire arena in awe.

After the heartfelt moment with Ed, the band performed “Take What You Want”. Taka walked to the front of the extended stage and sat with two spotlights shining on him. The arena fell silent as he began the emotional song. After a long pause in the middle, Taka took his time to connect with the crowd, mesmerizing everyone before finally singing the chorus: Can you hear me? I'm trying to hear you
Silence strikes like a hurricane
Now I'm singing for you, you're screaming at me
It’s safe to say everyone in the crowd felt every word as though he were singing directly to them.

While the earlier Japan setlist of the Premonition Tour included older hits like “Ketsuraku Automation”, “Jibun ROCK”, “Decision”, and “Karasu”, many of which hadn’t been performed in over five years, the London set leaned more toward their recent album Luxury Disease. As Taka explained, the Premonition Tour is an “in-between” tour, giving them a chance to perform while working on their new album. While many fans were hoping to hear more of their older, heavier rock songs like “Re:Name”, Taka reassured the audience that the upcoming album would see them return to their roots with more heavy rock music.

Despite leaning towards songs that have gained more popularity in the Western market, the band decided to perform many songs in their Japanese versions. For example, their iconic track “The Beginning” was sung in its original Japanese. The entire arena was on its feet, jumping and bouncing along. During the second verse, Taka jumped off the stage and climbed the front barrier to get closer to his fans, passionately belting out the song while the crowd sang along in Japanese, word for word.

The concert gradually reached its climax as the band played “We Are” and “Stand Out Fit In”, two iconic tracks that had the crowd screaming along. Taka, Toru, and Ryota ran across the stage, getting as close to their fans as possible. There was no doubt that the band was pouring their hearts into the performance, enjoying the moment as much as the fans were.

As the two-hour mark approached, the band returned for an encore with their new song “We All Matter”, closing the show with “Wasted Nights”. Promising to return next year with their new album, the band ran to the extended stage and took a bow, leaving the audience with memories of a night that would be hard to forget.