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
Four years on from the ‘Actual Life’ series lifting him into the mainstream spotlight, Fred Again.. continues to feel unavoidable. The London producer and DJ born Fred Gibson has moved at a relentless pace, bouncing between sold out stadium dates in New York and surprise appearances at Sheffield’s 1,000 capacity Forge, while also making history as the first electronic artist to top the bill at Reading and Leeds in 2024.
Where the ‘Actual Life’ releases and his fourth album, 2024’s ‘Ten Days’, leaned into warmth and joy pulled from ordinary moments, Gibson has also sharpened his instinct for high impact club weapons rooted in garage, dubstep and jungle. That side of his output lives on ‘USB’, an “infinite album” first imagined in 2022 as a home for tracks that exist outside any fixed universe, including defining moments like ‘Rumble’ and ‘Jungle’.
‘USB002’, the second vinyl only chapter of the ‘USB’ project, brings together 16 recent tracks, many of which surfaced gradually on streaming services over a ten week stretch. The music was shaped live, in step with ten unannounced DJ appearances across the world from Dublin to Mexico City. Even with a Glastonbury style registration system in place, The Times reported that 100,000 people tried to secure tickets for the opening night in Glasgow.
Appropriately, ‘USB002’ feels alive and constantly in motion, helped along by contributions from close collaborators such as Floating Points and Sammy Virji. The rigid, techno driven pressure of ‘Ambery’ echoes elements of Floating Points’ 2019 album ‘Crush’, while Gibson’s take on ‘The Floor’ builds like the slow climb of a rollercoaster before dropping back to earth without warning.
The guest list stretches beyond the usual dance circles, with two Australian guitar bands popping up in unexpected ways. ‘You’re A Star’ reworks Amyl and The Sniffers’ ‘Big Dreams’ into a breakbeat driven rush, while ‘Hardstyle 2’ pulls the experimental post punk edge of Shady Nasty into an Underworld adjacent space alongside Kettama. Gibson’s real trick is his ability to connect with anyone. These tracks are not reinterpretations but full takeovers.
The visual world wrapped around the ‘USB002’ rollout reinforces the instinct behind the music. Phones were prohibited at shows staged in vast warehouse spaces under sweeping light rigs, while Gibson’s team shared striking black and white footage and created artwork for each single on site. Bottling that sense of urgency, the project is rooted in the thrill of the present moment, something Gibson seems able to summon simply by turning up.
If the ‘Actual Life’ series and ‘Ten Days’ captured passing snapshots of experience, ‘USB’ is defined by constant movement, a space where boundaries are removed entirely. Sitting somewhere between an album and a playlist, ‘USB002’ underlines why Fred Again.. feels so dominant right now, and suggests that his current run may only be the beginning of something much bigger.
