At 7 PM, the neon lights of Los Angeles’ Ghengis Cohen sign illuminated, signaling a night full of music was about to begin. As you walk into the bustling Chinese restaurant, warm-toned orange lighting and lanterns dangle above the dimly lit tables. Just before that at the bar, artists and music lovers waited in anticipation for the show. To the right, a door led into a dark, intimate space where only the stage glowed in pink lights. 

The night consisted of five artists for THE PEOPLE LOVE IT tour: Chrmng, — a Bangladeshi rock band — and Endie — an indie pop artist with an angsty edge. The tour started September 6 in London. They recently made their fourth stop in Los Angeles, where they were joined by special guests kaido, Bhertuy, and JOSEON — who we previously featured in a HALSUG Artist Check and the first HALSUG Rapid Fire video on Instagram. On October 12, Chrmng, and Endie continued their tour in New York and have three more stops in Atlanta, Orlando, and Lafayette, so don’t miss out. 

As the first performer of the night, kaido opened with songs like “hook” and “recluse” setting the LA stop with his upbeat and chill sounds. Then followed Chrmng,’s vocalist Avi who joined kaido on stage for a nostalgic cover of Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” elevating the atmosphere’s energy.  

Next, Bhertuy took the stage, livening up the crowd and raising a sea of hands in the air with his upbeat songs. He sang various selections from his discography including his summer single, “camera work.” Bhertuy continued the momentum by showcasing his multi-talented skills and joined Endie on the drums. Endie treated the crowd to some tracks from his latest EP your problem dog, such as “keep moving motion,” “strangers to change,” and “what’s feeling important?,” followed by a short snippet of “Soft Spot” by keshi. Throughout his set, Endie’s stage presence mixed with the stage lighting and his ability to interact with the crowd showed his talent for creating an unforgettable experience. The energy peaked as some of the crowd joined him on stage to sing and dance during “what’s feeling important?” He revisited his past discography with “heart attack” and “love like that.” At one point, Endie had all of the stage lights turned off as he sat on the stage and invited everyone in the crowd to sit on the ground. This created a serene moment for the audience to relax and reflect as they listened to the soothing sounds. 

Chrmng, the band hailing from Orlando, Florida, is made up of Avi Kabir (vocals), Martin Polder (guitar), Imran Malik (bass guitarist), Keith LeCher (guitar), and Tim Jones (stand-in drummer for the night). They hit the stage with an unexpected twist — if you know Chrmng, then maybe it’s not a surprise that they kicked off their set with a lively rock remix of “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift. This nostalgic anthem got the crowd warmed up and in a great mood, evoking those feelings of wishing someone belonged with you as those lyrics echoed throughout. 

Smoothly transitioning from song to song, they performed songs that urged the audience to headbang and rock out to such as “CHARMING” and “BASELINE.” The performances of ”Are You Lying to Your Therapist About Being Sober Again? Yes,” and “LOVE LLC” were at slower tempos, allowing the crowd to listen and enjoy the lyrics. The crowd danced to the melody and sang along to the repetitive chorus of “ON&ON.” The band also treated the crowd with a new song titled “rules” and more covers of “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne, “B2b” by Charli xcx, and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers.

Last but not least, the band that ended the night with a banger was LA-based rock band JOSEON. Coming as special guests but leaving as headliners, Jonah Cho (drums), Brennan Shin (guitar, vocals), and Grant Spitzer (guitar, vocals) with Marco Lenzi (stand-in bassist) fully immersed themselves in the sounds of their music and unleashed a powerful energy with their instruments, captivating the crowd until the very last note. 

Listening to JOSEON is a mesmerizing blend of psychedelic and calming sounds, yet it also brings a head-banging shoegaze alt rock experience. During the performance, they showcased their upcoming single, “Snows,” set for release on November 11. The band also delivered a cover of The Beatles’ “I’m Only Sleeping,” adding their unique flair to the classic. 

As they went through the YOUTHiNASiA EP, they started with “EVERGREEN,” followed by “FiENDS,” and then “ANYWHERE ELSE.” At the end of “FiENDS,” just when you think the song is over, an unexpected build-up launches into a dramatic, slow-motion drum and guitar solo. Brennan burst out with the lyrics at the climatic part: “Just think of me eh eh eh eh eh eh eh.” All the guitarists were engaging in forward and backward head-banging motions, with Grant leaping high into the air, perfectly hitting each beat. This heightened emotional impact left listeners with a thrilling sense of exhilaration. 

During the last chorus of “VERTiGO,” after a powerful yelp, the loud, blurred combination of drums and guitar seamlessly transitioned to “SLEEPWALKiNG” where the guitar riffs from “VERTiGO” still lingered in the background. The band also made a live debut of an unreleased song, “Braindead,” which Brennan mentioned before the show was his favorite to perform live. Additionally, they offered sneak peeks of new songs, “The Stranger” and “A Minor Jam.”

In their performance of “Burning,” after the lyric “Make up my mind that I’ll never choose,” the song builds to a powerful crescendo, with Jonah on drums hitting with precision and intensity. His dynamic movements sync perfectly with the rhythm, gradually increasing speed and volume as the climax approaches, allowing the drums to stand out against the guitars and heightening the moment’s excitement. The sight of him head-banging added to the performance's intensity, creating a thrilling experience for the audience. Grant also immersed himself in the music, using his whole upper body — especially his shoulders and arms — to express the song’s rhythm and energy. Fans expressed their affinity for the band members with enthusiastic shouts, while the band responded with the JOSEON chant as seen below by Grant.

Ending the night with a lively performance of “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles, the crowd danced and jumped with enjoyment. As a band not to be missed, you can catch JOSEON at their next performances on October 18 at Slipper Clutch and December 12 at The Smell, both in LA. 

Before the concert, JOSEON did an Artist Takeover with HALSUG, which can be found in the highlights on Instagram, answering questions and showing us their day leading up to the performance. While they got to answer questions before the show, more poured in after their performance so we decided to have them answer them here:

• It was confirmed that Jonah stretched for roughly 15 minutes before the set. 

• They recently performed at USC and someone asked if they would perform there again:  “It’d be cool to play there again. Let us know if there are any open backyards.” 

• Recent obsessions — overall as a band: Taking DigiCam photos

  • Jonah: Sketching

  • Brennan: Palm Reading

  • Grant: Duck Herding

• Band’s favorite song at this time is “Seabird” by the Innovations

• Biggest musical inspiration is David Guetta

• Dream artist collab is Tame Impala

What is your favorite song from each of these artists and bands’ discography? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out to us on Instagram or X. 

TO STAY UPDATED ON ENDIE:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | SOUNDCLOUD | TIKTOK | X

TO STAY UPDATED ON CHRMNG:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | TIKTOK

TO STAY UPDATED ON JOSEON:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK

TO STAY UPDATED ON BHERTUY:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | SOUNDCLOUD | TIKTOK

TO STAY UPDATED ON KAIDO:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY

Edited by Martina Yee