“It’ll either be amazing or traumatic.”
That’s what I said when a colleague asked how I was feeling about the Charli xcx concert at Libdo Festival. I’d been listening to Charli off and on for years — you couldn’t really escape her, given she’s been behind some of the most iconic pop tracks of the past decade. But I hadn’t fully had a Brat summer, aside from the occasional song playing somewhere or reading the odd article about who Julia was (spoiler: Julia Fox)https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/charli-xcx-360-lyrics-im-so-julia-meaning-about.
When tickets for Libdo — which, for the longest time, I thought was spelled Libido — were announced, my friend and I knew we had to go. Even from the sidelines, Brat felt like a cultural moment. I knew I’d regret missing out on my own Brat revelation at a Charli xcx concert.
The evening started off strong — we caught The Japanese House, who were incredible, and grabbed some food. My plan was simple: pick up a battery bank, get a drink, and then find a solid spot for the main set.
But, as always, life had other plans. I somehow managed to lose my phone before Charli xcx even came on, and my friend and I spent the next hour running around the festival trying to find it. Find My iPhone was useless because the battery had already died. Honestly, that entire saga probably deserves its own blog.
With five minutes to spare, we found a spot that wasn’t half bad. Normally, I’d be spiralling over something like losing my phone — but I told myself I couldn’t lose my phone and the concert. So I committed to being present.
And honestly? It felt a bit magical. No pressure to record every moment or chase the perfect Instagram story. Just vibes. It felt like how I imagine concerts were in the ’80s — you went for the music, not the social cachet.
Full disclosure, I don’t dance — and the fact that I was stone cold sober didn’t exactly have me expecting a wild time, especially given how high-energy a Charli xcx concert is meant to be. But as soon as she came on stage, opening with “365,” I found myself jumping and singing along. I’d prepped quite a bit, so I knew all the lyrics.
Despite how intense and upbeat her setlist is, she never once seemed out of breath or tired.
She was the only one on stage, and yet she held the entire crowd’s attention. The audience struck a perfect balance — hyped, but not hectic. No pushing or chaos, which I appreciated. Honestly, I’d expected a lot more intensity given how dancey her music is.
Whenever I attend a show, I end up liking a song I didn’t expect to — and at this one, “Unlock It” turned out to be quite the earworm. It was followed perfectly by “Apple,” which featured Amelia Dimoldenberg as the Apple girl. She performed it with the kind of deadpan brilliance only she could pull off.
“Girl, So Confusing” is what my friend calls the national anthem — a sentiment clearly shared by the crowd. Charli introduced it by asking us to grab our best friends and reflect on just how much therapy it takes to work through things. Rest assured, that’s exactly what we did — singing at the top of our lungs to the remix.
The absolute highlight for me was “Party 4 U.” The song’s blown up on socials recently, and you could tell it was a fan favourite — screaming the lyrics felt like a borderline spiritual experience. I felt elated and heartbroken at the same time.
That was followed by “Track 10,” which was already a lot of fun — but Charli’s rain dance (I think?) added a whole new energy and gave the performance an extra layer of spectacle.
My friend had offered to leave early during the final song, which I knew would be “I Love It.” That track came out when I was in high school — a full-on scream-in-the-car anthem. There was no way we could miss it, phone be damned. I felt like I was 17 again, singing it. So much has changed since then, but in that moment, I felt like a kid.
It’s been a month since that show and even with everything that’s happened since — including Charli’s wedding — I’m still thinking about it.
All said and done, this Charli XCX concert was absolutely worth losing (and finding) a phone over.
Brat forever.
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