The lights go down. The auditorium hushes with a palpable low hum of anticipation. As the sound of “숨 Breath”—the opening instrumental track on WRLD, the latest album from South Korean indie rock band The Rose begins to play— plays through the giant speakers hanging overhead, images of stars and whorls of fancy drift across the black backdrop above the stage, and a woman’s voice begins narrating a story about a boy making wishes to the endless sky and the stars hanging high up above glow like a memory.
He pictures a train in the clouds, and as the wind steals his breath, in a single leap, the boy boards this train of wishes, dreams, and hope, and so begins The Rose’s fantastic performance for the Toronto leg of their 2025 ‘Once Upon a World’ Tour.
I think when it comes to choosing a name for a band, things can get pretty tricky. Either members lean into the absurd and tongue-in-cheek, or they become earnest and think about what their name means and the image it evokes for their fans. And after seeing The Rose perform live for the first time (finally!) on July 10th, at the Great Canadian Casino Resort, in Etobicoke, Canada, I can say that I don’t think they could’ve done better with a simple, singular, perfectly imperfect rose.
Woosung
Not to wax poetic, but the reason I think a rose suits this group of four uber talented men. Depending on the variety, roses can be tricky to grow because they require the right soil conditions, the correct amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients. And while they can be finicky to figure out at first, once they’ve become firmly rooted, and the correct conditions for growth are achieved, boy is it all worth it, thorns and all. They come in all sorts of vibrant colours, sizes, scents, and varieties that you can’t help but take a minute to stop and appreciate them. The phrase “Stop and smell the roses.” exists for a reason.
I think this perfectly encapsulates the band; Woosung, Hajoon, Dojoon, and Jaeyeong, who began busking in front of shifting crowds on the narrow bustling streets of Hongdae in Seoul, came together to officially debut in 2017 and grew into a band that’s weathered all sorts of uncertain times and difficult situations, forming Winfall (in homage of the original band comprising of Jaehyeong, Dojoon, and Hajoon) their own record label in 2022, that firmly knows who they are, their sound, and what message they want their music to convey. With each album, they experiment with new genres and eras ranging from Blues, jazz, and alt rock and pop from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, combining traditional rock music, with lyrics that demonstrate how their outlook on life evolves over time.
As the opening narration of the story about a boy who wished upon a star ends, the band entered the stage, and after a brief hiccup that caused laughter to ripple across the audience, they open with acoustic chords to “Ticket to the Sky”, and Woosung’s smooth voice with its unique hint of rasp and lilt fills the theatre. The lights go up to just the four sitting on tall chairs, creating an unexpectedly intimate atmosphere. He takes turns with Dojoon singing the verses and choruses, with an ease that both relaxes and builds anticipation. This sets the tone for the entire two-hour concert.
From “Ticket to the Sky” they continue with acoustic renditions of “Childhood”, the third track from their 2022 album ‘Heal’, the achingly soulful “Definition of Ugly is”, “She’s in the Rain”, one of my personal favourites, and “Tomorrow”. Here they take a brief break for the stage to be reset with the addition of Hajoon’s drum kit, and Dojoon’s brightly painted piano.
As the setting changed, Woosung took the time to introduce each individual member and make lighthearted jokes to lighten the mood, shifting the atmosphere for the next chapter in their performance. His way of speaking to the audience and ensuring each member gets their own moment shows how adept he’s grown at keeping the energy up and making sure everyone stays engaged.
Jaehyung
Once the lights were back on, the change in the songs to those with faster tempos was immediately noticeable with the first intro notes of “Nebula”, the first full track on the tour’s namesake WRLD album. There’s a quality to this section of the concert that feels very nostalgic of early 2000s alt-rock, and it becomes clear that the band is being very intentional with the song order.
The bass of Jaehyung’s playing and Hajoon’s drums drive the tempo steadily through “Lifeline”, “You’re Beautiful” their 2023 hit single, the smooth Jazz & Blues inspired “Shift” and “Slowly”, and the mid-tempo bop “Nauseaous” reminiscent of mid-2000s poprock, with “Yes” closing out the second set.
Hajoon
After another break where the stage goes through a major redesign, transforming it into a bedroom decorated with bookshelves filled with knick-knacks, comfortable chairs, a giant bed smack dab in the middle and a virtual ‘window’ above it where the audience’s eye is directed towards projections of various designs relating to the themes of the song lyrics.
This setting is interesting because it directly refers to the themes of the songs, and also to the privacy of the rooms where the group comes together to write, as Hajoon and Jaehyung mention in their mid-set interaction. The way each member, except for Hajoon who stays seated at his drums, moves across the stage and settles into various locations like the edge of the bed to sing and play their respective instruments (Woosung periodically switched between his acoustic and electric guitars, and Dojoon moved between the piano, playing acoustic guitar, and singing at the standing mic) and interacting with the crowd was very interesting and smart stage direction. It felt like watching a live stage musical instead of a *regular concert.
Before beginning their final and longest set with eleven songs (whew!), they spoke of the different ways they met each other, their time busking in front of shifting crowds on the narrow streets of Hongdae building their repertoire, and finding music to be a form of therapy to aid with healing from the different traumas they experienced and coming to understand that while all traumas can’t be healed 100%, as individuals and a group they can grow and keep moving forward with their music.
The story of a boy growing into a man, falling in love, stumbling through relationships, heartbreak, and disappointment in himself and the people in his life, finding his way to acceptance and determination to be a better person with each successive song, is beautifully executed.
The set begins with the high-energy crowd pleasers “Back To Me” and “Alive,” which gives strong 80s electronica vibes, “RED”, “Sorry”, the first song the band wrote together, followed by their long-awaited post-enlistment rock ballad single “Beauty and the Beast”.
Here the tone mellows out a bit with the contemplative and dare I say socially conscious selections of “Nevermind” which had crown interaction with the lyrics displayed on the stage screen, ‘Wonder”, “Sour”, “Cosmo”, and the concert closed out with “O” a song that asks us to see our differences, accept them and each other for a better world, and to be completely honest, as Woosung lead the audience to sing the final chorus acapella the energy in the auditorium shifted completely.
I don’t know if it was just me, but this entire section had me close to tears because I couldn’t help but think of the genocides and other atrocities happening within our world and as a Black disabled woman, and watching the harm being done to the world by the few with too much power while the many struggle to make it through each day, while all we need to do is “see and accept our differences.”
But still we persevere like a rose bush finding a way to survive in the most unlikely of places and we’re inspired to keep wishing and hoping for better days ahead with the open mindedness of a child. This is the story of The Rose and our world.
Photography by Teresa Valenton
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Film Critic, Journalist, Podcaster & YouTuber
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Host & Producer Carolyn Talks…, and So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
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