Exhibiting a masterclass in solo pop performance and stagecraft. Truly, there is no one doing it like Charlie xcx.
The status of Charli xcx in 2024 is that of a pop culture monolith finding profound success in fusing traditional pop with sleazy dance tunes, floorfilling hyperpop and experimental electronica. Not to mention the sheer size of what brat became: an internet and cultural sensation that tore through music fans and even presidential candidates. The UK leg of her brat tour begins tonight in Manchester and the Co-Op Live is bathed in green, as are almost all those in attendance.
The line for floor standing is packed out and dressed in their finest bratwear: green hats, bags, t-shirts, hair, makeup and of course, sunglasses. There is a distinct buzz about the place and the sheer size of the evening isn’t lost on people – something special is brewing in the East of the city.
Opener Shygirl blasts through a set of bangers, whipping the crowd up to near fever pitch. There is a short break, where the pre-show playlist of club classics is turned up to eleven, with people are dancing and singing before Charli emerges.
There is a rousing rendition of SOPHIE’s ‘Immaterial’ before Charli xcx strides out in front of a green curtain emblazoned with, you guessed it, ‘brat’. She tears straight into ‘365’, where Shygirl reemerges from behind the curtain to tear through her verse. There isn’t a second to catch your breath before ‘360’ kicks in, followed immediately by ‘Von Dutch’: the latter is a huge moment early on and brat’s lead single has everyone in the room on their feet. The arena is a sea of hands and phones filming every second, the bright screens reflected in the masses of sunglasses trained on the stage.
Charli works through several ‘acts’ of the performance. Some are on the main stage or the thrusting runway protruding into the crowd, some parts are on top of a lighting rig which moves high above the stage, and others are spent below the runway, where the steel mesh between her and the front row gives these portions of the show a feel of a sweaty Berlin club.
Each part of the show is filmed by a roving cameraman: the cinematography of these parts is spectacular and as they play out on the huge screens, as though xcx is performing a music video for everyone in the room. There is no question that a stage show like this, and a performance of this magnitude has the chops to take on festival headline status.
Later, Charli appears on the aforementioned lighting rig stage: kitted out all in black, sunglasses on, cigarette in hand. She is the picture of unbothered cool, belting through tune after tune. Most come from brat, but Manchester is treated to tunes from Pop 2, the Mercury-nominated How I’m Feeling Now and Vroom Vroom. ‘Girl So Confusing’ and ‘Guess’ are highlights, with Lorde and Billie Eilish’s respective contributions sung in full voice by the baying crowd. The latter number is huge, with Charli lifting her pink skirt to reveal sparkling green underwear before spitting on the floor only to bend down and lick it up, much to the adoration of her fans. The gargantuan synth outro is the loudest part of the night, sending the Co-Op live arena into meltdown.
Elsewhere, water cascades over the stage and Charli as she sings and spins around the stage for ‘Track 10‘. Every lyric is bellowed right back at her by almost every person in the massive space, as the Charli whips her soaked hair in time with the beat, the whole experience is nothing short of catharsis.
A superstar at the peak of her powers: Manchester came to party, and Charli does not disappoint. Foregoing the usual trappings of a stage show (no backing dancers, no garish pyrotechnics), Charli xcx exhibits a masterclass of solo pop performance and stagecraft. Truly, there is no one doing it like her.
featured image: Charli xcx – ‘360 (remix)’ artwork
