The Start or End of “Brat Summer”? Charli xcx Kicks Off Her U.S. Arena Tour in Austin

“Night two, bitches,” Charli xcx yells as “365 featuring shygirl” bumps in the background. 

Fresh off of two back-to-back weekends at Coachella, the English pop singer of Scottish and Indian descent kicked off her 2025 Brat Arena Tour with two sold out nights in Austin, Texas. Producer and songwriter Finn Keane joined her to open the show. 

Though Charli’s album “Brat” was released nearly a year ago in June, its impact on pop culture has been immense. Charli describes the album as, “me, my flaws, my fuck ups, my ego all rolled into one.” 

More specifically, “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it, is very honest, is very blunt, a little bit volatile, does dumb things. But it’s brat,“ she explains in a TikTok interview clip, 

In some ways, to be “brat” is to be human. And seeing a South Asian woman accept herself in this way feels particularly refreshing. Plus, the adoption of “brat” as an attitude, vibe, and lifestyle led to the “brat summer” trend that spawned off into many a meme and remix, and even the famous “kamala IS brat” post. The Brat Arena Tour began at the end of last year in the United Kingdom before extending to other dates, including the U.S. leg. 

A Seamless Show

At 8:58 p.m., “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve begins to play. As the song fades away a few minutes later, the lights dim and begin to flash as Charli’s introduction blares across the venue. 

The singer’s entrance isn’t grand. But when she lifts up the bright green “brat” curtain that’s dropped from the ceiling in between beats to loud cheers and steps forward into view, the crowd goes wild. For the rest of the night, the energy stays that way.

Even her exit at the end of the night is a little unceremonious. She stays on stage for her video outro, but quietly walks off as the screen goes black to final screams from the audience.

While other artists may take more time talking or interacting with the crowd in between songs, Charli moves from one song to the next in short succession. A few songs go straight into the remix version, so the singer can escape off the stage for a quick costume change. But before the audience has to wait too long, the intro for the next song begins and Charli returns on stage. Even the wait for encore songs takes only a few minutes.

Despite her whole setlist only running for about an hour and 15 minutes, the transitions never feel too rushed, nor the performances too short. Though there are some pauses in between songs, it feels almost like a DJ set. I’ve probably set foot in a club only once in my life, but the ongoing energy from Charli and her angels (what she affectionately calls her fans) is what I imagine the atmosphere to be like.

The visuals for the show aren’t complicated either. They are mostly driven by flashing lights that sometimes feel a little intense, but it adds to the club-like feel. A large cover on the main stage floor marks “GIRL” for the entirety of the night, and two simple banners drop, then disappear — the first during the intro for “brat” and the second before the encore, with “PARTY” in black letters on a white background.

The setlist features a number of collaborations featured on the remix version of the album, “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.” Though there are no special guests that appear in person, Charli still ensures that their presences are felt. The crowd sings along loudly to Lorde’s verse in “Girl, so confusing” and Billie Eilish’s in “Guess.”

The seats at Moody Center wrap around most of the stage, but there are no bad seats in the house, as Charli makes an effort to give each section some love. Before she launches into “Speed Drive,” Charli shares appreciation for those with side-seating views. “You’ve seen me when I’m taking my clothes off back there and everything. Love you,” she teases stage right, before moving to her left. “And you guys. This is so special. Thank you for selling this bitch out. I never really saw myself here, until I did and then I got here. But it was all because of you guys.”

The Duality of the Party Girl

Though it’s only her on stage with a microphone, Charli commands the space with ease, moving between the main and B stages throughout the night via two catwalks, one elevated with a transparent floor, and another below the stage on the ground. The latter walkway puts her at the same level as her fans in the pit, but it’s caged on the sides, perhaps as a safety and security precaution, or perhaps to give off an “animal at the zoo” air. In between verses, she struts and crawls the catwalk — even licking the ground at one point as a camera captures her from below.

During some songs, cameramen follow Charli around as she dances. Depending on the mood of the music, the shots and editing vary. Most of her songs are upbeat, but for more aggressive songs like “Von dutch” and “Spring breakers,” camera angles are zoomed in and frantic, with images flashing quickly on screen to match the fast-paced lyrics. For others like “Sympathy is a knife,” where she has more prolonged notes, the camera almost feels like it’s on a drone, with wider views of the singer and uninterrupted cuts. 

Charli’s movements are hard to describe. There aren’t any fancy choreographed moves; they’re purely based on vibes and whatever she’s feeling. In some songs, like “Vroom Vroom,” she throws in a little scream. Perhaps it’s a little weird to some, but for Charli, it works. It’s brat. She looks like she’s having fun and being herself — and the crowd eats it up, following Charli’s cues to jump, clap, and wave their hands in the air.

When the instrumental break for “Track 10” hits during the encore, Charli moves to the B stage, where a water feature simulates falling rain. As she sings the final chorus, she waves her arms and shakes her hips as her sheer white shirt and skirt get soaked. It’s cool and sexy. And there’s even more screaming.

While Charli gives off her sassy and confident “party girl” aura, “brat” shows a surprising amount of vulnerability from the singer — and that duality is displayed throughout the setlist. Throughout it all, the crowd sings along.

One of the most anticipated moments of the night arrives as the first beats to her song “Apple” begins to play. “I’m drinking apple vodka just for you guys,” Charli drawls. “Who wants to be ‘Apple’ dance tonight, Austin?”

A month after “brat” was first released, a dance by TikTok creator Kelley Heyer to the song went viral. Charli took notice and ran with it, incorporating the trend into her tour stops by choosing members of the audience to dance on the big screen as she sings.

At Coachella weekend two, Bowen Yang received the honor. For Austin night two, it’s a large group of people in the pit that the camera pans across, zooming in and out. 

“We love you, babies. We fucking love you,” Charli shouts as the crowd goes wild. As the outro plays, she adds, “This song goes out to all the people who have experienced generational trauma.”

The deceivingly upbeat “Apple” is quickly followed by the somber “So I,” which Charli wrote in memory of her long-time collaborator SOPHIE, who tragically passed away in 2021. It’s one of the few slower songs of the night and for this one, Charli walks slowly around the B stage. 

There’s a thoughtful amount of autotune used throughout the album, and that shines through as Charli sings. Even with autotune, it’s hard to cheat the notes. The tool is a way for her to be cheeky with her vulnerability and almost enhance it. As strange as it might sound, hearing certain lyrics in person and with the vocal filter is surprisingly emotional. 

“Friendship’s really confusing sometimes, am I right, Austin?” Charli sings, as she prepares to launch into “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde” her voice thick with autotune. “It’s really complicated. But what we’ve learnt is you just gotta communicate, and everything kinda gets a little bit better. And you fall in love all over again with your best friend.”

At the end of her main set, Charli brings everything back full circle, with “365” before disappearing off stage for a brief moment. When she returns, her encore focuses on more of her older work. 

Another highly anticipated song is “party 4 u” from her 2020 album “how i’m feeling now,” which recently made a resurgence on TikTok. Under the synth rhythms, Charli sings about heartbreak and yearning for a person who she realizes does not return the same feelings. As she reaches the bridge, she whips a line of flashing lights hanging from the ceiling around the now-dark stage, imitating lightning, as the audience vocalizes with her.

The End of Brat Summer?

While some fans speculate that Charli plans to shepherd in an “anti-brat” era next, whatever that means, the chaotic nature of the outro feels in tune with the whole “brat” outlook. It’s that unapologetic confidence matched with insecurity, that sarcasm mixed with showing her true feelings. That dichotomy, that messiness, that acceptance of oneself is the appeal of “brat” to so many. 

Is “brat summer” finally over? We’ll have to see. But if it really is, then seeing this arena tour in person was worth it to remember it by.

Setlist At Moody Center, Night Two

1. 365 featuring shygirl
2. 360
3. Von dutch
4. Rewind
5. I might say something stupid
6. I might say something stupid featuring the 1975 & jon hopkins
7. Club classics
8. Unlock it (Lock It) – feat. Kim Petras and Jay Par
9. Talk talk
10. Apple
11. So I
12. So I featuring a. g. cook
13. Spring breakers
14. Girl, so confusing featuring lorde
15. Everything is romantic
16. Speed Drive
17. Sympathy is a knife
18. Guess featuring billie eilish
19. 365
20. Encore: party 4 u
21. Encore: Vroom Vroom
22. Encore: Track 10
23. Encore: I Love It (Icona Pop cover)
24. Encore: Dread (video outro)