Stray Kids – dominATE World Tour

★★★★★

Concert Review: Stray Kids, dominATE World Tour, London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Saturday 19 July - world tour continues until 30 July. Ticket info here.

On Saturday night, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium became a vast, open-air vessel of noise, light, and devotion. Stray Kids brought the UK leg of their dominATE World Tour to a thunderous peak. Over three relentless hours, they conjured a jagged and dazzling spectacle.

Formed in 2017 through a survival series* that now feels almost quaint given the heights to which Stray Kids have risen, the band has always occupied a space between worlds. They are performers – but they also write and produce their own music — most notably through their in-house trio 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han).  Stray Kids blends aggressive rap with EDM, trap, punk energy, and moments of sharp melodic clarity. Their music leans into aggressive masculinity, softened at the edges by the almost surreal polish of their grooming.

The show opened with the urgency of MOUNTAINS and Thunderous, setting the tone for what followed: fast, theatrical, high-stakes. Back Door and DOMINO crackled with swagger, while tracks like MEGAVERSE and MANIAC showed the group’s flair for introspection without losing pace. By the time MIROH and Get Lit closed the night, the energy had tipped into something joyful and anarchic — full-body catharsis for both the band and the crowd.

The stage design mirrored the sound: maximalist and precise. Coordinated light sticks shimmered across the stadium in pulsating waves of colour. Fireworks burst in time with bass drops. Giant puppets loomed out of the dark. Flames leapt skyward as streamers, confetti, and coloured smoke exploded in perfectly timed bursts. It was part theatre, part fever dream — each moment calibrated for visual and emotional impact.

The fandom — in this case, Stay, Stray Kids’ devoted following — was inseparable from the experience of the performance itself. The energy, generosity, and sheer presence of K-pop fans is unlike anything else. People from every background and identity were unified by light sticks, lyrics, and a shared understanding that this space was theirs too. One of the joys of a K-pop concert is the ritual of fans giving small gifts to one another — hand-folded notes, stickers, snacks, jewellery — unasked, untraded, just freely given. With so much anger in the world right now, the kindness and generosity of K-pop fans feels a little bit magical.

There were, as there always are, interludes — moments of talking, banter, heart-to-hearts with Stay. Personally, I don’t need to hear the boys talk — but these moments clearly matter to a lot of people. Most importantly, they allow the performers moments to rest during the physically intense three hours. And for Stay, they are an essential part of the bond.

By the time the final chorus of Get Lit echoed out, the night became surreal. People were crying, singing, filming, hugging. The group bowed deeply and took their time leaving. This concert was a three-hour testament to craft, community, and conviction — with the band performing not to impress, but to connect. And in doing so, they’ve built their own (not so) little corner of the world that’s bright, loud, and very kind.

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*Though in reality, band leader, Bang Chan, hand-picked each member of the band prior to filming.