The summer of 2024 may forever be known in the media as the summer of Brat, courtesy of Charli xcx, and I am pleased to note that the Brat craze carried its way on over to a slightly colder London November. Luckily the weather did not deter me from throwing on my Brat green bikini which I had purchased in slightly warmer temperatures, and strutting along to the O2 Arena in North Greenwich. The atmosphere was electric, and after scrolling for hours through clips of Charli and Troye Sivan’s SWEAT tour, I knew I was in for a good night.
After a rigorous security check, we were able to secure a good spot in the midst of the crowd, and the pre-concert playlist, mainly featuring her own Brat remixes, allowed us to warm up our voices for what was about to come. Of course we couldn’t forget about ShyGirl, and she came out with a bang. She performed classics like ‘Mr Useless’, ‘4eva’ and ‘Nike’, all whilst wearing a groovy dress which was, quite literally, hanging on by a thread. It is safe to say that she brought the energy and the crowd reciprocated it. Shygirl didn’t live up to her name as she performed with a hot and sultry confidence which are exactly what her songs require, and the crowd ate it up. She also showed off a number of cool graphics which easily caught our attention, as did the two dancers who joined her on stage. She was the perfect opener, and little did we know, our night was just beginning.
As we all hopped about with anticipation, the lights suddenly dimmed, and ‘Immaterial’ began playing, a tribute to Charli xcx’s dear friend and artist SOPHIE, a perfect choice to hype up the crowd. Charli then emerged amidst flashing lights and the pulsing beat of ‘365 Partygirl,’ boasting a mini skirt and crop top. As she was joined by Shygirl, the crowd went wild, and for the next hour and half, did not quiet down.
It certainly was not a night to forget, and as Charli filled the arena with her outlandish performance, some highlights include licking the stage, descending down on hanging scaffolding, an absolutely life changing performance of ‘Track 10’, which included a seductive routine under a shower of rain. The crowd was in awe of her all night. The crowd also went berserk for a number of surprise appearances, the first of many being George Daniel, who was chosen to be the ‘Apple’ dancer of the night, something I didn’t even realise until looking at TikTok the next day. But this is solely due to the fact that I was later heavily distracted by Caroline Polachek who joined Charli on stage to perform ‘Everything is Romantic’ as well as ‘Welcome To My Island’ the George Daniel Remix. I have never screamed as loud as I did when that started playing, a song I never thought I would have the honour of hearing live!
Luckily the audience retained their spirit and reacted with complete commotion when Robyn and Yung Lean joined Charli on stage to perform their remix of ‘360’. Then the crowd reached its loudest when Robyn came on stage to perform ‘Dancing On My Own’. It was truly exhilarating and the sound of sobbing could definitely be heard, and I may or may not have been contributing.
All performances were simply amazing, Charli’s numerous outfit changes all devoured, and I don’t think I will ever recover from hearing ‘Von Dutch’ played live, as well as the rest of the album in all honesty. She is a great performer; the intensity she comes on stage with and the enthusiasm she demonstrates throughout all the songs never wavers. It was a transformative experience and I will definitely be trying to attend the festival in June that she has organised and is headlining in Victoria Park!