Review: Charli xcx brought ‘Brat’ girl summer to Glastonbury… but you didn’t have to be there

Romy, on the other hand, emulates the same trance-meets-Ibiza euphoria of her set on this same stage earlier in the day, blending an edit of Ariana Grande’s ‘One Last Time’ into ‘Show Me Love’ from Robin S. It’s a good respite, and the audience is clearly enjoying the “Partygirl” experience — but there’s still a sense of eagerness to get ‘Brat’ summer back on track. From there PC Music’s EASYFUN steps up to the bat, with the second ‘365’ play of the set by way of his own remix that sends Charli herself off onto a platform to dance in front of the audience — shaking her long black curly hair towards them before grabbing the mic once more and shouting: “Are you having a good time?!” For the last 10 minutes, it is time for Charli’s fiancée – The 1975 drummer and DJ George Daniel – to blow through a hard-as-nails edit of ‘Everything is romantic’, before descending into not one, but two, plays of ‘Club classics’ that ricochet around the arena in such a way that by the end it’s difficult to remember any words but “club” and “me” exist.

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As I tentatively, with shaky legs, exit The Levels — a few thoughts come to mind. Had I really just had my mind blown by what was essentially, an album playback with a few extras and some added vibes? Well yeah, I had. Was it worth queuing up for hours? Probably not. Did I feel guilty that I had gotten to experience the set when so many hadn’t? Yes, but similarly Charli xcx’s Partygirl demonstrated the scale of The Levels’ decadent lasers and neon-lit exterior, making it an impactful. albeit tiny, stage to showcase the popstar’s unique brand of pop-meets-club hedonism. On the one hand, organisers perhaps hadn’t anticipated the runaway train that would be ‘Brat’ this summer, but on the other, it felt like a perfectly crafted attempt to ramp up the excitement around the record.

When we finally get signal, friends who didn’t make it blow up our phones asking for a play-by-play: Did she really not sing? Did we see Paul Mescal? Was Robyn there? I realise then that the enjoyment of Partygirl had never been a headline slot or a chance to take in all that ‘Brat’ is at all. While the queues, the lock-off, your friends at home or the festival asking for more details all follow along the hype-heavy rollout of the album — which similarly saw desperate queues at the tiny Dalston Superstore on release day or even the 25,000 RSVPs for her NYC Boiler Room — looking on from the outside is still fun, that’s why you’re reading this review right now. I felt excited taking in clips from Charli’s Primavera set as I did standing in the depths of The Levels screaming my throat raw. So maybe ‘Brat’ and Partgirl at their essence are about feeling like “you had to be there” — even though enjoying it, revelling in it even, doesn’t necessarily require you to be there. Though admittedly, yes did see Paul Mescal dancing to ‘365’.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter