J-Pop rookies ONE OR EIGHT brought their first-ever tour, GATHER, to Chicago’s Distro Music Hall. The boy group, fittingly made up of eight members: MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, and YUGA, has exploded onto the scene with both J-Pop and K-Pop fans alike. With their debut funk song, “Don’t Tell Nobody,” showing off their vocals, and their sophomore track, “KAWASAKI,” featuring rapper Big Sean, the band has proven that their music transcends language with creativity and energy. The Chicago show was the penultimate stop of the Gather Tour, with the boys stopping in cities all across the Americas.

The energy in the venue was off the charts, with the band opening the set with their latest hit, “Tokyo Drift -” an energetic rap song that samples the track of the same name, “Tokyo Drift” from the Fast and Furious films - and continuing through their short yet flawless discography with “Young & Reckless” and “POWER,” from their recently released album GATHER. 

The group consists of two separate units, with each having a set to show off their strong suits. The first unit set of the night consisted of the rappers doing covers of Western tracks, while uniquely using each other as hype men. The second unit stage showcased the groups vocalists, with more covers of Western tracks including 5SOS and Justin Bieber before reconvening as a 4-piece for one final cover. 

While the members of ONE OR EIGHT have no shortage of energy, the members as well as the collective also know how to strip it back. With tracks “365” and “Day Ones” pulling at fans heartstrings with their charm and clever lyricism. 

The last stage of the night ended with more high energy performances of their most popular tracks including the aforementioned “KAWASAKI,” and “DSTM,” a funk track which features samples of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music.” Of course, the show is never over until after the encore. To start off, the boys performed an even more stripped back version of “365,” while connecting with the fans, before playing an unreleased track, and finishing with a fan-voted final song “Tokyo Drift.”

ONE OR EIGHT is proof that music has no language - with the boys reaching J-Pop, K-Pop, and rap fans alike, ONE OR EIGHT is not one to miss. While the GATHER tour officially ends in May, ONE OR EIGHT has assured fans they will be back.