Let’s get it out of the way: it can’t have been an easy time for Odd Eye Circle recently. Odd Eye Circle were a sub-unit of 12-member girl group LOONA, which was formed by the company BlockBerry Creative in 2018. The past nine months or so have seen, in stages, all members of LOONA battle to depart BlockBerry Creative, leaving LOONA in a suspended state (for now?). 
This is not the fate of Odd Eye Circle, however, as members Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry have reunited to take their new album Version Up on the road for their first ever Europe tour.



Any turbulence in their professional lives was nowhere to be seen at the O2 Academy in Kentish Town, northwest London on 5 August (although it was hard not be reminded of it when the group told fans during their ending speeches “We have plenty of activities planned, so please don’t worry about us.”) But they did make sure to acknowledge their beginning, despite how things appear to have turned out. Each member performed their solo tracks from the early days. JinSoul’s Singing In The Rain, with props and an impressive background display of a lit up cinema sign, was a stand out. Before the encore, fans chanted for Girl Front, the fizzy pop track from their debut EP - released under BlockBerry - and the group delivered, getting one of the biggest cheers of the night. And it was a pleasant surprise to see Hi High, one of LOONA’S first singles, get an outing for the finale.
Amid the nostalgia, however, Odd Eye Circle wanted it to be known they are a group operating on their own terms now, and were determined to make a statement. A statement with less bells and whistles. Rather than high-concept, polished VCRs, we were given a nice look at the in-group camaraderie with a giggly game of Charades; as well as their focused approach to their work, drilling dance moves for weeks before flying to the UK. T
With how high-octane K-pop concerts usually are, it’s also nice to see its stars simply stand and sing; to really demonstrate why they are where they are. Those moments came with songs like Chaotic, a 90s R&B flavoured track, and Kim Lip, Choerry and JinSoul delivered. Opinions about their former company aside, it’s clear they knew what they were doing putting this trio together.



Although nerves were evident – it was the first show of their first Europe tour of course - they seemed more secure personally, buoyed by the support of fans. Choerry proved to be very charismatic in an entertaining-yet-surplus cover of Say So by Doja Cat. The members were among the most capable dancers in LOONA and with less people on the stage it was clear to see why. Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry, by their own admission, make their choreography tricky but the group and their backing dancers (whose stage presence gave OEC a run for their money at times) breezed through the energetic Air Force One as easily as the sultry Je Nais Se Quoi. 
Both those songs, and Version Up as a whole, presented us with a confident, more mature version of the group. It was a stark contrast to older, sugary songs like Hi High, Love Cherry Motion and, yes, even Girl Front. Version Up, a more self-assured album, gives us an idea of where Odd Eye Circle, and their new post-LOONA project ARTMS, are headed. The lookback this concert offered was fun, but what’s coming in the future is more exciting.



Photographs by Modhaus