Live Report: Billlie – LAV – Lisboa Ao Viv

The lights dimmed out, and the first notes of ‘GingaMingaYo (the strange world)’ started to play. “What a strange world,” echoed the intro — a foreshadow of the journey that K-pop girl group Billlie would take their audience on over the next two hours.

After performing in Munich, Berlin, Cologne, Stockholm, and London, the septet landed in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday (24) for the sixth European show of their ‘Our FLOWERLD (Belllie’ve You)’ world tour. At a swelteringly hot LAV – Lisboa Ao Vivo venue (and despite the lack of member Haruna due to health reasons), Billlie performed with utmost charm and poise all the hits and b-sides that make their discography so unique.

Debuted in 2021, the group became known for a multidimensional lore centered on finding out what happened with a fictional girl named Billlie Love. That said, Billlie’s “strange world” is not for those looking for typical pop music. “Quirky”, “zany”, and “peculiar” are all adjectives that promptly stick to their sound, but that’s also what makes it so addictive. From curious titles like “Mcguffins ~ who’s the Joker?” to ethereal vocals and viral-worthy performances, Billlie is an invitation into the unknown — but guided by some of the best in the business.

Returning to the thrilling ride of ‘GingaMingaYo’, as soon as the track ended, Billlie doubled up the energy with “flipp!ing a coin” — a definite highlight of the night — and the streamlined beats of “DANG! (hocus pocus)’, before pausing for introductions. The rest of the concert followed in similar sprints: a small set of songs, some chatter, VCRs with rehearsal scenes, another set of songs, and so on.

Among the segments, they divided into three units to perform covers: Tsuki and Sheon did a dance rendition of Blackpink’s ‘Kill This Love’ and Jung Kook’s ‘Standing Next to You’; Suhyeon and Haram showed off their stirring vocals with Pasek and Paul’s ‘Rewrite the Stars’; and Moon Sua and Siyoon displayed all their rapping charms with Blackpink’s ‘Pink Venom’.

In the setlist, a balance between their most popular singles, like ‘EUNOIA’ and ‘RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world)’ with fan-favorite B-sides, such as ‘lionheart (the real me)’, ‘nevertheless’, and ‘MOON palace’ kept the momentum going. They also carried out the Korean version of Japanese single ‘DOMINO ~ butterfly effect’, and even an a cappella teaser of ‘Patbingsu’, a single released with their label Mystic Story’s CEO, Yoon Jong-shin.

The excitement was high up until the encore, where they performed debut single ‘RING X RING’, the sweet ‘BYOB (bring your own best friend)’, and the fan-dedicated ‘believe’. The trio was a perfect conclusion to the night, highlighting their sweetness, charisma, and boldness to thread a new path: all the elements that make Billlie’s world so strange, so wonderful.

In the next few days, the septet will head over to Prague and Budapest before wrapping up this leg of the tour in Warsaw, on July 30th. Producers Studio PAV have announced a Grand America tour for the end of this year, but further dates and cities are yet to be disclosed.

Words: Tássia Assis