dearALICE join SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in London line-up: "Let's go!"

The line-up for this summer's biggest K-pop celebration just got even bigger, as rising British boy band dearALICE and EXO's KAI are announced for SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE] in London.

Following the release of their debut single Ariana, which reached Number 2 on the Official Physical Singles Chart and Number 3 on the Official Singles Sales Chart, dearALICE will join 15 other K-pop idols at London's Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday June 28 2025 in a European exclusive.

To celebrate the news, we caught up with the lads - also known as Blaise Noon, Dexter Greenwood, Olly Quinn, James Sharp and Reese Carter - to see what they've got in store for the show.

Hello, lads! You've just been announced for SMTOWN LIVE in London, but it's not your first rodeo. You've already played SMTOWN LIVE in Seoul...

Dexter: That was nuts, it was such an experience. It was, like, 80,000 people. We all came off stage and could barely remember what happened, but we watched it back and it went well. We were pretty nervous, but we did a little group huddle before we went on stage.

Is that your pre-show ritual, the bro group huddle?

James: We all do our own little things, I've noticed. I have to do my meditated breathing, and I wish I'd had orange juice. I have to have orange juice before I perform!

Dexter: And we get into the huddle, look at each other and just...breathe.

Blaise: It's really nice; we sync up our breathing together and say nice things about each other. We give each other affirmations and say 'you're going to do an amazing performance!' It's all hugs and fist bumps.

Oliver: We were lucky, because we had aespa on just before us, so we could dance to their music and get in the vibe, have a little boogie.

You must be excited to bring your show to the UK fans?

James: It's very different to our other UK shows. We've done Strictly Come Dancing, but it'll be amazing to do it the proper, old fashioned way on a big stage. It's so exciting, it's a big moment.

Reese: It'll be wicked, let's go!

The line-up's wall-to-wall K-pop legends, how does it feel to see your name alongside theirs?

James: It's incredible, we're super lucky and blessed. It's huge for SM Entertainment, as well, having all these artists heading over to the other side of the world. It's crazy.

Blaise: We've met a lot of them, too. It's always really nice getting to know the people you've seen on stage; they're all so humble. We're friends with most of them now. SM squad!

What's the best piece of advice you've been given from your fellow K-pop idols so far?

Dexter: I remember when we went to Tokyo, before we'd even started this journey, and we were told to just enjoy it and be present. That really resonated with me; just enjoying these crazy experiences and accomplishments as a group.

You started out on TV show Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience. Looking back, how different do you feel as a band now?

Oliver: When we watch the show back, we all agree that we're unrecognisable from how we are now. We've really grown into ourselves. This is us, and we're going to continue to evolve.

Blaise: Like Pokémon. We were Charmander, and now we're almost a Charizard!

We appreciate that comparison a lot. What's been your biggest learning so far?

Reese: SMTOWN Seoul was my biggest learning to date. I learnt so much from being on that stage; from the tech run the day before to the performance itself. It really opened our eyes and a lot of doors, too.

James: SMTOWN was the moment where it was like 'okay, this is real now.' Performing our own song [Ariana] was such a proud moment; it was a real milestone. It was such a strong start.

WATCH dearALICE's Ariana music video:

Yes, congratulations on the release of Ariana! Why did that feel like the perfect song to launch with?

James: It came to us as something really unique; something really different we hadn't heard anything like. it spiked our curiosity instantly. None of us thought it'd be our first single when we first heard it, but we worked on it and formed it into something that worked as our band's starting point. We wanted to show the world something new, authentic and different.

Is Ariana representative of the rest of the material you're working on?

James: Ariana's a great starting point. Shout out to the producer, Siba; it's so fresh and new. It was amazing to see how the song was created on his software behind-the-scenes.

Oliver: Our sound's really broad - the sky's the limit! We want to be able to hit lots of different genres and deliver something fresh. Also, we're a British boy band, and we want to hone in on that British essence.

The music video still showcases that British vibe, fused with K-pop production values and choreography...

Blaise: Yeah, we started this journey in London. That's where we all met, it's our roots. I really enjoy that we've paid homage to our beginnings.

Do we have a release date for a full body of work yet?

Oliver: It's a lot closer than people might expect. There's an album on the way, but people can expect a lot of surprises en route. Be excited!

Here's everything you need to know about SMTOWN LIVE in London 2025:

When is SMTOWN Live in London 2025?

SMTOWN LIVE 2025 [THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE] in London will take place on Saturday June 28 2025.

Where is SMTOWN Live in London 2025 taking place?

London's Allianz Stadium, Twickenham will play host to this year's event.

What's the SMTOWN Live in London line-up in full?

• dearALICE
• KAI (EXO)
• aespa
• Chanyeol (EXO)
• Hearts2Hearts
• Hyoyeon (Girls’ Generation)
• naevis
• NCT 127
• NCT Dream
• NCT Wish
• Red Velvet (Irene, Seulgi and Joy)
• RIIZE
• SMTR25
• Suho (EXO)
• TVXQ!
• WayV

How do I get tickets for SMTOWN Live in London 2025?

Tickets are available here.

Article image: Massimiliano Giorgeschi