Organisers defend KPop gig after angry backlash over 'horrendous' concert

Organisers of a major KPop tribute concert at a Belfast arena have defended the show after angry complaints over the quality of the performances and its appropriateness for children.

One parent who took her seven-year-old daughter said some sections of the show were "raunchy" and inappropriate".

The KPop Forever! Tribute show took place in the SSE Arena on Thursday, with further gigs due to take place next Monday and on 16 May.

KPop - or Korean pop - has seen huge global success thanks to acts like BTS, Blackpink and the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters.

People who attended the gig took to social media on Thursday night to air their frustration, with one parent telling BBC News NI that the event was "just horrendous".

Aiken Promotions and the SSE Arena said that while "the majority of customers enjoyed the show, we understand that this was not what some expected".

Their statement added that they were "content" that the show delivered "an arena-standard tribute to the entire KPop genre".

In a later statement on Friday, Aiken Promotions said they took "all customer feedback seriously".

Caroline McGrath from north Belfast was there with her seven-year-old daughter and said while they had a "great time", the show was "not we expected it to be".

She told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra she was not aware that KPop was a full genre.

"I thought it was good but then there was some parts that were a little bit raunchy, there were some things that were the KPop songs that the kids didn't know and there was some parts that my friend's daughter felt were inappropriate and she is seven," said McGrath.

She explained the main songs from KPop Demon Hunters were not on until the end.

"When it hit the interval, I seen so many children crying and people leaving," McGrath said as songs they did not know were being performed.

Ruairi George O'Connor, from Banbridge, said the performance was "not appropriate for kids, at all".

Others defended the show, with Belfast woman Michaela Hutchison saying she and her daughter had a "great night" and she was surprised to see the online criticism.

O'Connor went to the concert with his fiancée Shanelle Chambers and their five-year-old daughter, who is a big fan of KPop Demon Hunters.

He said she was "so excited" on the way to the venue.

"She was singing and she was dressed up and she was absolutely loving life," he said.

However, he went on to say she was left "bored out of her head".

"Our wee woman is intrigued by anything and I mean she was bored. She asked us probably countless times to go home," he said.

He added: "It was just devastating, it just wasn't what I was expecting for the amount of money I was spending."

He criticised the music played during the interval, saying he heard explicit words in the songs, and added that the concert was "one of the worst things" he had experienced.

The SSE Arena's statement on Facebook has attracted more than 1,000 comments, with many people complaining about what they saw during the show and whether it was worth the price of a ticket.

There were some claims on social media of performers miming, a lack of KPop Demon Hunters content and concerns over the show's appropriateness for young children.

However, others said the gig was not advertised as just about KPop Demon Hunters and one said that their niece had "the time of her life".

Michaela Hutchison told BBC News NI she had a "great night" at the concert with her six-year-old daughter.

"My expectations weren't big anyway. I knew what I signed up for. Whenever we bought the tickets, it was never advertised as a KPop Demon Hunters concert... it was KPop genre music," Hutchison said.

"My daughter was enjoying it," she added. "So I was getting into it with her, encouraging her to have fun. She never thought anything bad, so I just went along with it."

Responding to some criticism that the event was unsuitable for children, Hutchison said she "didn't think there was any problem".

"It's no different to if you went to a Katy Perry concert, if you went to a Beyoncé concert," she said.

"Yes, the girls were wearing wee belly tops or wee bras but they had tops over them, and they had rips in their jeans.

"Not at one point throughout the whole show did I think: 'This is inappropriate'."

She said during an interval a song with explicit lyrics was played, which was the only thing she criticised.

Hutchison added that at the beginning of the concert one of the performer's microphones was not working properly.

"Things happen with technology, it does cut out. I don't think it was their fault and they fixed it, " she said.

The description of the event on the SSE Arena's website says the concert features "all-live performances of smash-hits including Blackpink, BTS, Twice, Soda Pop, Golden and many more, this is the ultimate non-stop party for all ages".

It says KPop Forever! will "take audiences on a journey that they will never forget with four epic live vocalists, accompanied by four world class dancers amidst a background of eye-popping lighting and effects".

"With breathtaking choreography, plus songs inspired by the record-breaking film KPop Demon Hunters, this spectacular is one not to be missed."

In statements on Thursday night, Aiken Promotions and the SSE Arena said they were "aware of some feedback received following the KPop Forever tribute show".

"The show played in Belfast tonight as part of a world tour, and the content, design and choreography has been built to represent the full KPop genre, featuring songs from BTS, Blackpink and Katseye, as well as eight hits from Demon Hunters including 'Golden', 'Takedown' and 'Soda Pop'," the statements said.