Infinite (from L) Sungkyu, Jang Dong Woo, Lee Sung-yeol, Hoya, Nam Woo-hyun, L, and Lee Sung-jong
MANILA, Philippines – No lip-synching, no vocal enhancements either—this was the promise made by the Korean pop group Infinite, whose concert will be held tonight (Sunday) at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The show, bankrolled by the Big Dome’s owners themselves, is expected to draw a large audience composed of K-pop fanatics. About a hundred of them went Saturday afternoon to the Crowne Plaza hotel in Ortigas Center hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols, who were there for a press conference to promote the concert.
The no lip-synching pledge was actually made by Infinite’s Korean handlers in response to our question during a short one-on-one interview with the group at Crowne Plaza. We wanted the group to elaborate on the information supplied in their media kit: “Fans around the world are drawn to Infinite’s pitch-perfect live performances … which distinguish (them) from other K-pop (groups).”
So, we asked: Does that mean you won’t be lip-synching, or there will be no vocal backing tracks either?
No lip-synching, the interpreter assured us.
The only way to find out is to watch the gig.
In any case, we were also intrigued by Sungkyu, Infinite’s leader and main vocalist, who told us during the interview that his musical influences are Radiohead, Linkin Park, Limp Biskit, Craig Davis and Ne-Yo.