On arrival at the O2 institute, the crossover appeal of Charli XCX, and in particular her recent output, was immediately apparent. Congregating in the room with equal excitement were groups of young teens, bearded hipsters and a whole host of other subcultures. This welcoming and diverse crowd turned out to be reflected in the show that Charli delivered; a joyous, boundary pushing and deeply fun set of some of the most exciting songs in pop.

Screaming along to every word, hipsters and teens alike gave back all of the energy Charli gave out and more

Following a fun support set by Rina Sawayama, Charli took to the stage with a recorded message thanking all of the collaborator’s on her recent album Charli, reminding the crowd that behind her pop banger’s lies the ambition to collaborate with a host of more experimental and left-field artists such as SOPHIE and A.G. Cook of PC Music. As ‘Next Level Charli’, the album’s opening track began to play, the crowd’s energy exploded. Screaming along to every word, hipsters and teens alike gave back all of the energy Charli gave out and more. 

Charli’s ability as a live performer is stunning. Despite being alone on a relatively minimalist stage, backed only by a large illuminated cube, her stage presence was able to fill the room with an intensely positive energy. Whilst some might write off her use of autotune as a crutch, it quickly became clear that the effect was far from a way of covering up vocal flaws. Much like T-Pain (go check out his Tiny Desk), Charli’s vocals underneath any autotune were clearly not lacking in strength. Every note and vocal run were hit with genuine conviction and purpose, the vocal processing merely adding to her vocals’ futuristic pop style. 

Whilst the song’s inescapable presence on release might have left it feeling a little tired and overdone, it was basically impossible to not have terrifying amounts of fun whilst it was being played

Seeing a packed O2 institute react so joyously to a song with sections as abrasive and noisy as recent album highlight ‘Click’ was amazing. The way that Charli delivers her more experimental tracks live brings their accessibility and catchiness to the fore, using her vocal delivery and dancing to highlight the raw pop foundations upon which producer the noise and weird drones are built.

Despite leaning heavily on her more experimental recent releases, the show wouldn’t have been complete without the inclusion of Icona Pop’s mega-hit ‘I Love It’ in the encore. Whilst the song’s inescapable presence on release might have left it feeling a little tired and overdone, it was basically impossible to not have terrifying amounts of fun whilst it was being played. Charli showed no signs of fatigue at still performing the tune 7 years after its release, leading the entire crowd into a cathartic sing-along of a song that for many was a defining soundtrack to their youth. With all pretences dropped, ‘I Love It’ is an undeniable banger live and on record.

The show cemented Charli XCX as possibly the single most exciting artist working in British pop music. The way her set drew together so many different sounds, moving from almost Nine Inch Nails-esque industrial to futuristic bubble-gum pop, and left them all feeling cohesive and necessary was nothing short of incredible. Most importantly however, the show was simply a lot of fun.