Charli xcx made her only UK festival appearance of the summer at Reading, delivering a performance that felt like a calculated evolution of her pop persona. Drawing on the concept that “time itself is a circle,” as the rock’n’roll philosopher Nietzsche once said, the set followed a high-energy performance by grime artist Skepta. Much like her previous appearance at Glastonbury, this slot served as a definitive transition away from the “Brat” era that dominated the previous year.
The past 14 months have seen a significant reset for the artist. She has balanced the release of two distinct albums—a gothic soundtrack for the Wuthering Heights adaptation and the recent “Music, Fashion, Film,” which features raw, glitch-heavy micro-rock—with a new acting career and a high-profile wedding. These diverse projects culminated in a complex, carefully rehearsed stage show that leans heavily into a late-2000s aesthetic, complete with glittery blazers, fishnets, and a stark, monochrome visual palette.
The setlist prioritized new material, opening with the mission statement “Rock Music,” which signals a departure from rave-inspired sounds toward a more aggressive, guitar-driven style. During the track “Card Declined,” Charli was joined by a large ensemble of dancers on a three-story scaffolding structure. The performance featured nods to cultural figures like John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese, maintaining a high-concept, almost pretentious atmosphere that the artist fully embraced. As she noted during the arch track “Playboy Bunny,” which she delivered in a style reminiscent of Joey Ramone, “All my music sounds the same / Well, that’s because I made it.”
While the crowd was less chaotic than her “365 party girl” reputation might suggest, they remained highly engaged, particularly during hits like “Von Dutch” and “Guess,” the latter of which saw fans throwing clothing onto the stage. For the dedicated followers, she included “Track 10” from her 2017 project “Pop 2.” The show concluded with “Nothing Lasts Forever,” a somber exploration of ego that featured a looping voiceover from director David Cronenberg, reminding the audience that even the most prominent artists eventually fade away.
Throughout the performance, Charli xcx maintained a rigid, uncompromising stage presence. By the time she finished, she had set a high bar for the festival’s headliners. Her commitment to the bit—from the “nerve damage” she joked about while headbanging to the final, static pose with her dancers—showcased an artist fully in control of her narrative, even as she grapples with the crushing highs and lows of fame. The report also notes that everything else in Charli’s pop factory has undergone a hard reset, yet in the past 14 months. The report also notes that her rotation of outfits is another daring homage to the late ‘00s – glittery blazer over push-up bra and fishnets; ripped T-shirt dress with low-slung belt – and the mood board is tightly curated, with video screens stuc. The report also notes that thrown a big fat celebrity wedding and, somewhere along the way, found time to rehearse her biggest, most vertiginous show to date, she’s also launched an acting career. The report also notes that starting with mission statement single Rock Music – a hard pivot away from Brat’s all-night rave energy and an ode to Charli’s on-stage urge to self-destruct: “I’m really banging my head / I’m really hurting my neck / The nerve damage is real.” Backed by a live band (with guitar, bass and drums played by the kind of underfed, skinny-trousered men who ruled these stages circa, most of the new album gets an airing. The report also notes that 2006) Charli rattles through Yeah, her pocket-sized take on Song 2, and shopaholic reckoning Card Declined, during which she’s joined by a huge cast of dancer-slash-models prowling a three-storey scaffolding set. The report also notes that disembodied voice heralds a tense rendition of their claustrophobic duet, House), Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese.
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