British boy band, dearALICE performed a four-night UK mini tour; starting in The Globe, Cardiff followed by Dingwalls, London to Think Tank, Newcastle and Club Academy in Manchester. Ex-boy band member from Here At Last, Tommy Lyon opened each show performing a series of his own songs, along with his latest, “Last First Dance.” We reviewed his set here. On attending both the Cardiff and London concerts, both had some notable stark differences in their overall vibes.
dearALICE at The Globe, Cardiff
Cardiff was a brilliant opening night for dearALICE. The five-member boy band ran on the stage with energy and good vibes. Whilst Cardiff had a much calmer atmosphere which somewhat suited the band more, London definitely had more of a vibrant scene as it is the group’s hometown afterall. But for the group’s first-ever night on tour they performed exceptionally well and the calmer nature and vibe in Cardiff did them justice to really showcase their talents.
dearALICE at Dingwalls, London
On their tour, it’s clear they are exactly where they’ve always wanted to be. The group seemed more at ease during their Cardiff concert. And it’s most likely partly the energetic London crowd that got them a little more excited and perhaps more nervous. The best vocal dynamics of the group are paired together – Reese and Olly deliver the beautiful ballad of “Save Us”, whilst Blaise and Dexter lead the emotionally potent, “Butterflies”. And James gets his very own spotlight with the light catchy, “Sweet”.
London’s set was energetic but perhaps at times too powerful which left the stage looking a little messy and chaotic. However, for their last song, “Ariana” there was so much dry ice that you could barely see the group perform their best song with its deeply addictive chorus on the cloudy London stage. Most of the lighting for London was way too dark compared to the well-lit Cardiff stage. The dark blue lighting in “Ariana” was so dark the members almost disappeared on stage.
A Boy Band with a Point to Prove
dearALICE has proven on this tour that they excel at being both cute and cool. Their Made in Korea (MIK) Original Soundtrack (OST) features cute songs like “Vibes”. Whilst the group’s first EP, titled bitterSWEETsummer (released earlier this year) contains cool songs like “Drums.” It was an EP where every song hit the mark. Both the OST and EP deserve more recognition, much like the band themselves.
But since their days on the BBC show, Made in Korea they’ve moved in a different direction musically. The group has since moved away from the school-boy cute vibes to a more young adult scene. Yet high fan-demand for their MIK songs made it to tour and we finally saw the group perform most of the songs from the soundtrack live. The group’s pretty entertaining from Reese’s bold facial expressions to Olly’s ‘cutesy’ dancing – they all excel at different skills which we’ll delve further into in this tour review.
JAMES
The eldest of the group, like a big brother to the other members is James. With both a solo career under James Sharp, and as the SHARPTWINS with his twin brother Lewis pre-dearALICE, James has built up his experience in music production and is often ‘cooking up’ his own beats. His most recent for the group being, the currently unreleased, “Rock That Body” – their own version of the 2009-released Black Eyed Peas song of the same name. This transitions the group’s vibes from a boy-next-door image to more of a vibey club scene.
The move sees a more grown-up version of dearALICE despite the fact fans still want to see more BBC Made in Korea-type songs. James gives off a cool vibe and excels in dancing, especially freestyle and popping. And he even competed in a friendly freestyle dance battle against Olly on stage. James has the largest TikTok following at 1.3 million followers and is clearly a pro now at knowing what his audience want to see. James has a soft and kind personality and this shines on stage. His best moments are his lead in “Sweet” and his strong dancing in “Ariana.”
There’s nothing fresher than a sip of tea in the dead of summer.
James Sharp in “Sweet” from dearALICE’s bitterSWEETsummer EP.
DEXTER
Dexter’s sunshine energy shines through and he looks like he enjoys the stage the most. Performing comes naturally to him, and you can’t help but smile alongside him. Dexter’s clearly a genuinely nice person and he’s just being himself on stage. And like Reese, he’s very authentic and they both have a great sense of humour.
We’re seeing more of Dexter’s personality now, and I think he’s largely underrated for how much effort he constantly puts into both performances and fan interactions. Dexter’s always enthusiastic and he’s the most consistent every time. The good vibes are constantly there, and he keeps getting better. This is just the beginning of a bright future for him. His best vocals include the “look at all the bruises and my wounds” line in dearALICE’s debut track, “Ariana”, and the line, “Wonder Woman, come on, you got no limit” in “Drums.”
I’m the one to pay now/
Dexter Greenwood in “Ariana” from dearALICE’s bitterSWEETsummer EP.
Look at all the bruises and my wounds/
I’m begging you to make it go away/
Even if it meant it wasn’t true.
OLLY
My personal favourite vocalist of dearALICE is Olly. Singing soft, mature, and angelic notes. His experience with singing really shines through from his days as a choir boy to taking the lead in boy band vocals. Olly clearly loves singing and he’s the backbone of the group’s vocals.
Even in livestreams, Olly’s always singing and this is his forte. He’s very expressive and emotionally raw in his line delivery. One of his best lines is in the sad whispering note of ‘I’m terrified’ in the group’s powerful ballad and title track, “Save Us” from their bitterSWEETsummer EP. He has amazing stage presence and is great at talking during the tour ‘ments’ (talking points). Olly is a natural, professional, and accomplished performer and it shows on stage.
On the official dearALICE TikTok page, Olly and Reese covered the popular song, “Free” from the K-pop Demon Hunters (2025) soundtrack. This showcased how well their vocals complement each other. Hopefully we’ll see a live version of this duet one day.
Apologize in the morning for what we said at night/
Olly Quinn in “Save Us” from dearALICE’s bitterSWEETsummer EP.
Couldn’t see a reason why, darling, won’t you tell me why?/
I’m terrified.
REESE
The standout performer and perfect all-rounder who excels at everything across singing, dancing, and overall stage presence is the amiable Reese. From his clear lines, smooth transitions, and accurate footwork – Reese’s dancing has a ballet-like quality and he always ultimately delivers his best. He’s also excellent with crowd interaction. And his high standards are very consistent. It’s like a switch and he turns that energy on instantly on stage.
He serves best as the centre of the group, and it all seems pretty naturally effortless for him. Reese barely misses a beat and he’s an impeccably underrated dancer. Both Olly and Reese are amazing as a duet – leading “Save Us” and singing a cover of “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur. Reese’s best line is without a doubt his ‘lightning’s about to strike’ in the group’s recent music video, “Drums”, as well as his lines in “Rock That Body.”
Lightning’s about to strike/
Reese Carter in “Drums” from dearALICE’s bitterSWEETsummer EP.
You know all the warning signs/
Every time you hear that sound/
Ain’t nowhere to run.
BLAISE
Mainly known as the dancer of the group but since his BBC Made in Korea training days, Blaise has improved his vocals immensely. His best vocals are arguably on the emotional track, “Butterflies”. There’s a great friendship dynamic between Blaise and Dexter which shines through in their vocals together. It’s a great song and highlights their talent. Blaise is very energetic on stage and creatively choreographed a dance to Justin Bieber ft. Burna Boy’s “Loved By You”, which he performed alongside Dexter. We then saw Blaise perform a solo cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “favorite crime”. I would argue he has the best music taste amongst the members with his melodic Spotify playlist.
The maknae (youngest) puts 100% effort and energy into each performance. Blaise’s dancing is poised with precision and perfection. He notices and pays attention to detail. He has clear dance technique which is adhered to his background as a BRIT school graduate. Both Blaise and Reese are powerful dancers, but their styles differ completely. Whilst Reese exhibits more elegant moves, Blaise hits each move with power and intensity. You can see how he really tries to emotionally evoke each dance not just to perform but to tell a story.
I used to love the yellows/
Blaise Noon in “Butterflies” from dearALICE’s bitterSWEETsummer EP.
The flowers in the meadows/
But it all turns to dust blown in the wind.
Quintessentially British
Arguably the biggest draw for dearALICE is their quintessentially British values. They’re a homegrown band that is grounded in authenticity. What we see is exactly who they are, and this is something they need to hold onto. Often, we see groups lose who they are underneath as they build in popularity. But it would be great to see the band continue to thrive whilst still being the humble version of themselves.
Mostly what’s great about this group is the fact they’re all boy band material. Reese stands out as looking like a Backstreet Boy member. From his outfit choices to his unbelievable vocals, dance ability, and flawless performances which really capture your attention. Whoever held the auditions for this group are lucky to find these five talented members.
dearALICE’s UK Mini Tour
dearALICE really stepped up their fashion game for their London concert. They followed through with a darker vibe compared to their Cardiff stop. Although, when comparing the two performances, even though the London crowd was louder, Cardiff seemed to have gone smoother. From the ‘ments’ (talking points) in between performances to remembering choreography. I think each member’s personality suits the group well and without all five members, I don’t think they would be as strong and we wouldn’t love them as much.
From crowd reception, “Ariana”, “Save Us”, and “Drums” seem to be their most popular songs amongst their bitterSWEETsummer EP. But arguably two of their best songs – “Life is a Movie” and “Time with You” from their BBC Made in Korea OST were sadly the only songs not performed on tour.
dearALICE’s best song still remains as their debut single, “Ariana”. And if you haven’t seen their SMTown London 2025 “Ariana” performance, then you’re largely missing out. It’s their best performance to date. Their synchronisation is on another level, especially for a group that only had 100-days of K-pop training from Korea’s SM Entertainment. You can watch our vlog of dearALICE at SMTown London here.
Exclusive Tour Merchandise
The group’s sold-out tour merchandise, which ranged from t-shirts to hoodies, a tote bag, and poster all had design input from the members themselves. They can even be seen modelling the new tour merch on their official store. dearALICE’s past releases included “Ariana”, “Sweet”, and bitterSWEETsummer merchandise.
Delivering a Certain Message
But for their first-ever UK tour the group is delivering a certain message. They’re shouting from the rooftops that they have music range. From the heavy “Drums” to the emotional “Save Us”. The group tease a hopeful future with further solo projects in the works to highlight their talents.
Perhaps we’ll be seeing BLACKPINK-type solo projects where each member can showcase their own music styles through solo songs but still continue to have group songs. Hopefully we get to see more live performances from dearALICE very soon because we want them back!
Overall dearALICE were pretty impressive for their first tour. But the question is – when will we next see them?
Other Shows
dearALICE also performed at Think Tank in Newcastle, and Manchester’s Club Academy alongside Tommy Lyon as the opening support act. You can read our review of Tommy Lyon’s set here.
Want to read more about dearALICE? Check out our other articles on the British boy band here. You can also read more concert reviews like this such as, BLACKPINK at Wembley Stadium, and ONEREPUBLIC at the 02 Arena.
Overall Rating:
dearALICE in Cardiff: 4.5/5 Stars
dearALICE in London: 3.5/5 Stars