Charli xcx set “Brat” on fire during her Glastonbury set on Saturday night — literally.
Headlining the Other Stage, the avant-garde pop star began her set business as usual with the Shygirl remix of “365” followed by “360.” But then, before launching into “Von Dutch,” the neon green “Brat” curtain that was serving as a backdrop started burning. Charli reveled in the destruction as the stage lights turned red, seemingly signaling a sinister turn.
However, her set continued as normal, with little differences from her recent headlining spots — unless you count the fact that her typical all-black outfit had pink accents this time around (and was paired with red boots). When it came time for “Apple,” fellow Glastonbury artist Gracie Abrams was selected to perform the TikTok-famous dance as the crowd went crazy.
“I’m known to have the heart of a stone but this is very fucking emotional right now,” Charli said of headlining the Other Stage (Neil Young was top billing at the Pyramid). “I feel very grateful. Thank you so much, you’re cool as fuck. But not as cool as me, bitch.”
“Party 4 U” and “Vroom Vroom” proved to be later highlights of the set, finally getting the hospitality side of the crowd dancing (Harry Styles and Eddie Redmayne were spotted in the exclusive section). Charli danced in the (fake) rain once again for “Track 10,” wowing the crowd, and ended the set with “I Love It,” shockingly not bringing out any surprise guests (though her “Girl, So Confusing” collaborator Lorde played a secret set on Friday).
As the crowd exited, Charli’s outro message displayed on the screens made clear that the burning of the “Brat” banner was only for show. “We had to do it and it looked cool,” the message said. “I think you all have proven to me that ‘Brat’ is forever.”
Charli has been making the festival rounds this summer, most recently performing at Primavera Sound in Spain, where Chappell Roan was the “Apple Girl,” and curating her own lineup at London’s Lido Festival, where she brought out “Rewind” collaborator Bladee. Back in April at Coachella, she brought out a trio of surprise guests, including Billie Eilish for “Guess,” Lorde for “Girl, So Confusing” and Troye Sivan for “Talk Talk.”
At Lido, she declared that “Brat” summer would last forever, displaying a message at the end of her set that read: “‘Brat’ summer is over. But actually… I don’t think it is. So tell me the truth: Will you hate me if I stick around? Because honestly, I don’t know who I am if it’s over. And so… I’ve decided I want this to last forever. It wasn’t just a summer thing… it’s a forever thing. Please don’t let it be over.”
Charli’s fiancé and collaborator, George Daniel, also headlined the Pyramid Stage on Friday night with his band The 1975.