Much like a large proportion of my generation I was enamoured with Charli XCX last Summer. Since my
tween years, I’ve adored the idea of aesthetics. Subsections of beauty. Pinterest boards are my jam as well
as highly curated playlists (eg. music to mourn your husband while he’s lost at sea). Charli has been
releasing music for quite some time now but her latest album has been a smash hit. Brat was released on
the 7th of June with its most memorable feature being the hideously glorious green cover with the title
written in a simplistic arial font.
The idea of Brat was really interesting to me. It was a beautifully stark subversion from the clean girl
aesthetic which has been ruining my life: Brat is characterised by a “confident, independent, and
hedonistic attitude”. Clean girl is lifeless, Brat is messy but beautiful.
It was hard to escape Charli’s clever marketing as variations of the album were continuously released with
a makeup song between Lorde and Charli where they “worked it out on the remix”. As well as a certified
bop with Billie Eilish where they danced through piles of underwear (yes they actually did and yes it was
iconic). From Dan and Phil to Chappell Roan, the general public seems to really be resonating with the “I
have no more f*cks left to give” attitude.
I decided that it was a matter of life and death to see this concert. I probably had a bit of a different
experience from the typical lot as I brought my dad down to see her as well. I have the privilege of joining
my dad to see his favourite bands so I decided to return the favour and traumatise him a little as Charli
gyrated across the stage. I made us commemorative shirts to celebrate the night and we made our way
into the city. As we drove into Glasgow all I could see was a barrage of lime green everywhere. It felt like a
proper community.
We got to the show and you could feel the palpable excitement in the air. SHYGIRL (Blane Muise) opened
the concert and I really enjoyed her music, you could see the audience getting warmed up ready for
whatever Charli was going to deliver next. Blane left the stage and all that was left was to wait for the
main attraction. We sat listening to Immaterial by Sophie as the venue pulsated green and we sat on
tenterhooks. Sophie is a very important person to bring up when we talk about Charli. She was both a
producer and an artist herself who worked with Miss XCX on a number of her biggest projects, they were
also very close friends. Her releases had a very clear personal style that helped her gain popularity quickly
until she passed away suddenly from a fall in 2021.
Understandably, this shook Charli up and she has since reflected on her grief through some of her latest
songs. You can see her sadness about the loss of her friend permeating through some of her work but it
has also clearly inspired her to make some amazing songs. The Brat tour seems in some ways to be a
dedication to Sophie and what she left behind when she passed away.
Lights began to flash and the beat got faster and faster. All the phones in the audience flickered in unison
and then the Brat curtain dropped. The crowd roared with anticipation as the woman of the hour strutted
out onto stage. “Glasgow what the f*ck is up!”. We danced the night away to Von Dutch and Everything is
Romantic. The show took a somber turn when Charli took a moment to grieve Sophie, she acknowledged
this when she stated how hard it was to sing songs that have been le
behind.
The concert began to wrap up with Charli XCX completely soaked through and singing about her regrets
as well as her fears in a relationship. What we experienced was a singer at her most raw and honest.
Fittingly, the night ended with her singing her classic song “(I don’t care) I love it“ which seemingly
represents the earliest iteration of Brat. Messy, boisterous and sweet.
The album won the Best Dance/Electronic Album category in the Grammys and it totally deserves the
win. Charli XCX showed something new and fresh to her listeners, cementing herself as one of the
biggest musical icons of this century.