MUSIC PREMIERES
Ever since ‘Brat’ summer began last year, it has been characterised by some consistent themes. Its celebration of messiness may have been the one that pulled the most focus, but besides that, it’s also been about friendship, community and Charli XCX lifting others up alongside herself. The first Partygirl events boasted special guests like her partner George Daniel and The Dare, the video for ‘360’ assembled an it girl squad featuring Gabbriette, Rachel Sennott, Julia Fox and more, and the eventual ‘Brat’ remix album brought together artists new and old to rework the cultural phenomenon. Even at Coachella, when the singer could have kept attention firmly on herself, she took the opportunity to move focus to a host of other acts who could have their own summer in the spotlight.
It feels fitting, then, that one of the final ‘Brat’ shows she has scheduled should take the form of a Partygirl takeover of London’s Lido festival, with Charli curating the day. The line-up pulls from her list of collaborators, friends and cult acts to serve up a cross-section of current electronic-leaning pop and some of its most interesting creators.
Magdalena Bay pull the first big crowd of the festival, packing out the second stage tent as they bring the surreal world of ‘Imaginal Disk’ to life. Frontwoman Mica Tenenbaum complements different songs with different masks and outfits – a sunflower encircling her face for ‘Vampire In The Corner’, angel wings for ‘The Ballad Of Matt & Mica’ – emphasising the unique, playful side of their inventive synth-pop and making their world feel whole.
Later, Gesaffelstein takes world-building in a completely different direction. The French DJ and producer walks on stage shrouded entirely in black and delivers his set of industrial techno from the middle of a ring of giant black crystals. As massive as the likes of ‘Pursuit’ and ‘Hellifornia’ sound, the set feels let down by the fact that the sun is still blazing, taking some of the drama out of his universe.
The extended ‘Brat’ family takes over Victoria Park today (June 14), too, with some of her close collaborators proving popular draws. The Dare’s set – benefitted by the absence of scheduling clashes – is so busy that the tent has to be closed off early in his performance. A.G. Cook warms up the main stage in the early afternoon with a setlist that, instead of showcasing his own 2024 album ‘Britpop’, largely packs in remixes of some of the songs he’s produced for Charli, and a blast of The Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’. The crowd-pleasing continues at The Japanese House, Amber Bain’s dreamy indie-pop the perfect breather between more hype performances.
As much as today is a celebration of a whole corner of music, though, it’s also a victory lap for Charli and the runaway success of ‘Brat’. As she comes on stage under a barrage of green lights and the unfurling of the ‘Brat’ banner – now tattered and half-shredded – the album’s impact is evident in the excited screams that ring across Victoria Park. ‘365 (remix)’, ‘360’ and ‘Von Dutch’ provide the perfect triple threat to open the set, every word to all yelled back at the star by the sold-out crowd.
While there are rumours that some of her superstar collaborators are on site, from Lorde to Addison Rae, the sole guest appearance comes via Drain Gang’s Bladee, fresh from drenching the second stage in AutoTuned rap-pop, and A.G. Cook. Together, they deliver the remix of ‘Rewind’, but some technical mix-ups before they get into the song hamper the excitement around it somewhat.
The same can’t be said about the rest of Charli’s performance, which masterfully builds and builds. “Are you still fucking out there or what?” she asks before the bouncing ‘Speed Drive’, before taking the crowd higher and higher, via ‘Guess (remix)’, her current viral sleeper hit ‘Party 4 U’ and an electrifying version of ‘Vroom Vroom’. By the time ‘I Love It’, the song she wrote for Icona Pop, brings things to a close, euphoria has set in across the park, and Charli XCX is in her element. Long live ‘Brat’ summer.
MUSIC PREMIERES
Lykke Li didn’t hold back when speaking about the making of her sixth studio album, ‘The Afterparty’, during a listening session in Los Angeles earlier this year. “Let’s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,” she admitted to the crowd. While balancing motherhood, the chaos of modern culture shaped by Trump and AI, and her own desire to create something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than ‘EYEYE’, as she previously shared with NME, the Swedish alt pop star arrived at a headspace that “feels like it’s 4am and the sun is going to rise”. The record captures that blurry final moment before regret, exhaustion and reality settle in, which makes it even more emotional considering she has hinted this could potentially be her final album.
There is something fitting about how brief the project feels. With only nine tracks running across 24 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Lykke immediately drops listeners into the atmosphere with opener ‘Not Gon Cry’, painting a picture of those lonely early morning hours with the line, “No angels here tonight, no dancing queens.” Alongside the shadowy pulse of ‘Happy Now’ and the twisted disco energy of ‘Lucky Now’, she revisits the emotional yet dance driven spirit of her earlier material while blending in the sharper, more confident attitude heard on ‘So Sad, So Sexy’ and the shimmering influence of her 2019 Mark Ronson collaboration ‘Late Night Feelings’.
The emotional fallout begins to settle in quickly. ‘Famous Last Words’ carries a lush orchestral sadness as Lykke reflects on lessons that only came after years of chaos and late nights, confessing, “I had to crash and burn to tell the tale.” Then comes ‘Future Fear’, a delicate acoustic track with robotic textures that stares directly into anxiety and uncertainty with the chilling question, “I’m going to a dark place, do you need anything?” Meanwhile, ‘So Happy I Could Die’ glows like sunrise after a sleepless night, holding onto fleeting moments as she sings about “slipping through the hourglass”.
Throughout the album, Lykke Li vividly captures the beauty and wreckage of reckless nights with the vulnerability that has always defined her music. On ‘Sick Of Love’, she channels heartbreak into revenge, wanting to “make you beg for it” after rejection in a way that feels spiritually connected to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’. One of the strongest moments arrives with ‘Knife In The Heart’, a track that fully embraces her desire to become the “rock god” and “fuck boy” she spoke about, firing back at anyone who tries to tear her down with the words “you can spit, you can walk on me” while delivering one of the catchiest songs she has created in years.
Closing track ‘Euphoria’ leaves behind the same bittersweet feeling that runs through the rest of the album. With sweeping strings, pulsing beats and emotional intensity, Lykke Li reminds listeners that nothing lasts forever as she sings, “Player play your song, waste the night away”. Like the fading energy of the perfect night out, ‘The Afterparty’ ends in a haze of beauty and uncertainty. If this truly is her farewell, she leaves with one final intoxicating statement, though it still feels like there could be another chapter waiting.
