CHILDREN were in tears and their parents left furious after they mistakenly attended a “raunchy” K-pop concert full of scantily clad dancers.
Families have spoken of their rage and accused the event of being “wholly inappropriate” – saying they wrongly believed the show was centred around hit Netflix children’s movie KPop Demon Hunters.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is an animated film that follows a world-renowned Korean pop girl groupCredit: Supplied
Video footage from the concert shows performers in skimpy outfitsCredit: Supplied
Parents have accused organisers of marketing the show, Forever! Tribute – which cost £38.95 per person – towards kids off the back of the hit movie.
KPop Demon Hunters is the most successful film ever released on Netflix.
The concert at on Thursday, February 19 promised a “truly one of a kind, all-action concert”.
But instead unwitting families were horrified – with many walking out as dancers gyrated on stage.
The poster for the show shows characters strongly resembling those from KPop Demon Hunters.
Promoters have, however, defended the show – saying it was meant to represent the whole genre, not just the movie.
But they said they are “aware of feedback” from fans.
Parents online complained the show included suggestive dancing, explicit language and cursing, and .
One mum told The Sun that the show was “absolutely not family-friendly” with “content completely unacceptable for a show explicitly marketed as suitable for all ages”.
“I’m not a prude but I don’t want my daughter watching nipples flying, singing about ‘ice cream’ and coming home singing swear words” she told The Sun.
Video footage from the concert shows performers in skimpy outfits dancing promiscuously and mouthing the lyrics out of time.
“The dancers looked like they had forgotten their underwear”, the parent who wishes to remain anonymous added.
It was not only the content of the songs that were criticised but also their execution.
KPop Demon Hunters: in numbers
The animated "urban fantasy" movie began streaming on Netflix in June 2025.
It quickly became the most-watched original title in Netflix history – with over 500 million views.
The soundtrack was the first film soundtrack to have four songs in the top ten of US music chart Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.
And the song Golden, performed by band Huntrix in the film, becoming the longest-running K-pop chart-topper in UK history, spending 10 weeks in the number one spot.
The tune also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and is nominated for an Oscar too.
Other chart hits from the film include Soda Pop, Takedown and My Idol.
Attendees claimed that “the performance consisted of poorly mimed backing tracks, with some of the worst lip-syncing.”
“The blonde doll had the mic at her eye at one point,” said the mother of a nine-year-old K-pop Demon Hunters fan.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is an animated film that follows a world-renowned Korean pop girl group balancing their lives as pop stars with their secret identities as demon hunters.
Released last year by Pictures and available on the film is extremely popular among Gen Alpha.
As families flooded out during the interval of the almost two-and-a-half-hour event.
And parents were horrified as hit song “Messy” by blasted lyrics “I’m too f****** dumb” through the speakers.
Punters were even handed cards with details of where to direct their complaintsCredit: Supplied
The performance of the songs were heavily criticised tooCredit: Supplied
Lyrics contained sexual themes and references to touchingCredit: Supplied
After videos of Belfast mums complaining about the concert went viral on TikTok, K-Pop fans were quick to point out that the show was intended to celebrate the whole genre of Korean pop music, not just the film.
However, a number of those complaining claimed they did not know it was a genre of music and assumed the concert was a tribute to the hit kids film.
Carol Lindsay bought her six-year-old demon hunters loving granddaughter tickets to K-Pop Forever! for Christmas but was beyond disappointed with the show and left during the interval.
Although Carol understood the whole show was not going to be based on K-Pop Demon Hunters, she still expected an upbeat performance featuring the colourful costumes and wigs her granddaughter had been so excited to see.
“There was no effort put into the production,” Carol, who has seen Beyonce and Pink at the same arena, claims.
She thought that the dancers’ outfits and performances were inappropriate for children not only because they were sexually suggestive, but because they were “boring” and “un-engaging”.
Some of the dancers’ outfits (jeans and t-shirts in some cases) were so drab they were hardly noticeable from the front row, let alone the back of the 11,000-capacity stadium.
“Because there were no demon hunters, no costumes and nothing to entertain kids,” Carol’s granddaughter Coco “started crying and asking to go home”.
The footage of the performers projected onto the screens for the vast majority of fans not sat close enough to the stage was “badly recorded” and “unprofessional,” according to Carol.
“I had more fun queuing at the bar alone for 20 minutes than I did sat watching the show” she said.
She says the show put her “off K-Pop for life” and she won’t be returning to Belfast’s SSE Arena, where she has attended shows for decades, becaus: “if somebody takes [her] for a foo,l they won’t do it twice”.
Caroline McGrath, mum to a seven-year-old girl, told BBC Radio Ulster: “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.”
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,” she added.
“Substantial” queues for the arena’s complaints desk at the end of the show were very telling of the overall guest experience.
Punters were even handed cards with details of where to direct their complaints and refund requests as they were leaving.
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”.
They claimed in a statement that the “content” the show delivered was “an arena-standard tribute to the entire KPop genre”.
Later, Aiken Promotions said they took “all customer feedback seriously”.
Many people online have compared this car crash of a concert to Glasgow‘s 2024 Willy Wonka experience.
Despite the detrimental feedback the show will go on as it is set to be staged again on Monday, February 23.
The Sun reached out to the promoters from comment.
Glasgow's Willy Wonka fail
A WILLY Wonka-inspired event in Glasgow in 2024 for all the wrong reasons.
Families arrived at a near-empty warehouse after paying £35 for what was supposed to be an “immersive experience”.
Kids were given just a few jelly babies and a cup of limeade before it was all over in minutes.
The experience was so bad kids were reduced to tears and police were called to the venue as angry parents gathered outside.
Organiser Billy Coull was eventually forced to issue an apology for the “sheer and utter disappointment” blaming technical difficulties for the chaos.
Hundreds of families had paid to see Willy’s Chocolate Experience, which was due to take place over two days.
But House of Illuminati – the firm behind the show – cancelled it mid-way through its first day.
Parents slammed it as a “scam” – with some paying £65 for family tickets.
The boss, Billy Coull, was later exposed as a sex pest and added to the sex offenders register for a year after he admitted he hounded a woman with explicit pics and messages.
mother-went-k-pop-forever-1061012423Credit: Supplied
Queues for the arena’s complaints desk were very telling of the overall guest experienceCredit: Supplied
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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