Review: Kokoon

Image courtesy of Assembly Festival

Opening your show with a cover of BTS’ early hit ‘Burning Up (Fire)’ is a bold thesis statement. But K-pop comedy group Kokoon know what their audience are here for: we may not all know Korean, but we do speak the same language of K-pop idoldom. "I’m the handsome one!" says Jaemin, the group’s leader. "And I’m the cutie guy!" says Juwon, making light of the ‘types’ assigned to band members. It’s truly a hat-tip to the strength of the Korean Wave that, in a theatre in faraway Edinburgh, its tropes can be performed and received as common knowledge.

The five members of Kokoon – Jaemin, Changhan, Juwon, Taegil and Ryou – are undeniably strong performers, rattling off a host of well-known hits: more BTS, some Blackpink, and, of course, PSY. Their engines truly rev for their own songs though, particularly on their 2018 single ‘What?’, a slick, EDM-inflected bop with a fanchat that the audience gladly takes up.

Unfortunately, Kokoon’s comedy does not match the pyrotechnics of their music. A skit about handbells goes down well; another bizarre bit about animal impressions fails to make much headway. And then there’s Taegil. The show’s running ‘gag’ sees the other members make fun of his looks and furiously berate him for perceived mistakes. An abrupt transition from one such ‘joke’ to a rendition of BTS’ ‘Spring Day’ – a song beloved amongst fans for its message about getting through hard times – leaves a sour taste in the mouth. A charitable reading is that Kokoon are posing a much-needed critique of the industry’s famously rigid beauty standards; if so, it’s done far too subtly in a show that otherwise hits its high notes.