After almost a full year and a string of dates across Asia, America and Europe, Japanese girl group XG landed back on Australian shores over the weekend for the Australian leg of their first world tour, The First HOWL. Performing at Margaret Court Arena to a sold-out crowd, the self-defined X-Pop group brought their dynamic personalities and unparalleled talents to Melbourne.
XG, short for Xtraordinary Girls, the 7-member girl group debuted in 2022 with their single ‘Tippy Toes’. Comprised of vocalists Chisa, Juria, and Hinata, and rappers Jurin, Maya, Cocona, and Harvey, XG are based in South Korea where they underwent vigorous training under the watchful eye of Simon “Jakops” Park, a former K-Pop idol and CEO of their label XGALX. Following the release of their second single ‘Mascara’, the group shot to virality on TikTok with the release of the rap line’s ‘Galz Xypher’ and they’ve been on a swift upward trajectory ever since.
I was beyond excited to attend their Melbourne show, Margaret Court Arena was swimming with ALPHAZ (XG’s fandom name), many dressed in costumes that mirrored their music video looks, as well as wolf and alien accessories, playing off the group’s concept of an intergalactic wolf pack. As eager ALPHAZ waited to take their seats, the lines for exclusive merchandise including limited edition XG Tamagotchis, clothing and accessories for their spaceship themed lightstick glowed in a rainbow of colours, with each one representing a different member of the group.
Outside of the merch stand was a popup for the ALPHAZ fan club, with fans who signed up at the venue gaining photocards and an entry into a lucky dip prize. For existing members, the stand offered exclusive merchandise and the opportunity to drop off fan letters for the XG members, helping to make the evening even more personal for some lucky fans.
When the lights dimmed and the crowd roared, a VCR of Earth began, accompanied with Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Time to Say Goodbye/Con te partirò’, playing over the top, painting a picture of mysterious lifeforms travelling through space and landing on our planet. Those aliens, our seven Xtraordinary Girls, stepped out onto the stage in matching metallic silver outfits to a shaking uproar, opening the night with a rock remix of ‘Shooting Star’ before an EDM dance break took them into the futuristic ‘Howling’ and swaggering rap heavy ‘Woke Up’. The string of aggressive openers got the whole arena fired up, with everyone singing Hinata’s hook from ‘Woke Up’ and howling in an eerie chorus.
Heading off stage, the VCR shifted into a cyber-city before transitioning into videos from their trainee years, including interview diaries of the girls as pre-teens in the XGALX bootcamp. It was incredible seeing each of the girls at the beginnings of their careers, full of hope and ambition. I can only imagine how it feels for them to see where they are now, just three years into their tenure as a group.
Returning to the stage clad in bright and elaborate costumes, XG moved into the dance-pop portion of the evening with the fast-paced ‘IYKYK’ before the future house self-love anthem ‘TGIF’ and lovelorn garage track ‘Something Ain’t Right’. After getting their ALPHAZ suitably amped, the XG members took a moment to address the Melbourne audience, introducing themselves individually and expressing their excitement and gratitude to Australian ALPHAZ.
This was one of the only times that XG addressed the crowd directly; though their discography is strong, it’s also small with only two EPs under their belt. XG could have easily filled the air with talking and on-stage activities, but instead XG and the team at XGALX capitalised on the talents of their artists. While the stage was bare of decorations, there was ample budget put into the elaborate costumes, with each member wearing at least four different outfits throughout the night. The concert tour also has incredible music production that remixed XG’s popular singles, with a dedicated the whole middle portion of the concert giving each member a solo.
It was this section that really highlighted the talents of the girls, with the rap line (Jurin, Maya, Cocona, and Harvey) performing their cypher solos (something I truly never thought I’d hear live) as well as their solos and group XG Tapes. Plus, the vocal line (Juria, Hinata and Chisa) performed hit songs including Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’, Avril Lavigne’s ‘Complicated’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘I’ll Never Love Again’ from the film A Star Is Born (2018), before coming together to sing ‘Losing You’ by FLO.
While the rap line got everyone worked up with their effortless swagger, the vocal line tore at heartstrings with their powerful high notes and melodic harmonies. Adding to the vibe, ALPHAZ changed their lightsticks for every solo in the member’s represented colour, lighting the arena up in a sea of green, red, white, purple, yellow, orange and blue.
As XG closed out with ‘In the Rain’, ‘Is It Love’, B-sides from their 2024 EP AWE, Christmas ballad ‘Winter Without You’, and New DNA EP singles ‘New Dance’ and ‘Puppet Show’, the Melbourne crowd were brought to their feet all the way up into the nosebleeds, singing and dancing along with their favourite alien superstars.
This should come as no surprise if you’ve read my reviews of XG’s music, but I am a big fan of XG, and I walked out of Margaret Court Arena buzzing from the high of seeing my favourite girl group live on stage in my city. I hope that this visit is the first of many.
XG performed as part of their 1st WORLD TOUR “The first HOWL”, proudly presented by Frontier Touring, at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena on Sunday February 16th, 2025. The Australian tour has now concluded. XG’s 1st WORLD TOUR “The first HOWL” continues in Asia with three stops in Japan before finishing in Latin America this April in Brazil and Mexico.
For more information, visit:
https://www.frontiertouring.com/xg
https://xgalx.com/en/xg
https://www.instagram.com/xgofficial
Photography supplied by XGALX.
