LIDO feat. Charlie XCX 2025 Review – Is Brat Summer Over?
LIDO feat. Charlie XCX 2025 Review – Is Brat Summer Over? This was the day most people seemed hyped for in the LIDO lineup: Charli XCX was curating her own ‘partygirl’ festival on a Saturday in Victoria Park. 2 July 2025 By Caitlin Taylor It was sold out, incredibly busy and once again, way way too hot. At times, it felt reminiscent of an immersive theatre experience – many of the attendees were kitted in neon green clothing with various phrases in the classic brat font. We kept crossing paths with one group in particular, who were all wearing matching neon green mini bob wigs. It was truly surreal. We knew to avoid the Club stage after Outbreak the day previously, and it was a good idea as here the queues were even longer. It’s a shame, as we were excited to catch Rose Gray, who’s having a super interesting rise to fame at the moment, but we weren’t willing to miss any of the artists in a queue that looked like it would take an hour. Stage 2 was our favourite of the day. We’d kept pretty far from at Outbreak the day before as I bruise too easily to handle a mosh pit. Our first taste was Magdalena Bay, who could honestly be considered one of THE bands of 2024. Their album Imaginal Disk was a smash hit, and it was a treat to see them live despite the fact that we were so far back they looked like little insects to us, but to have such a large audience at such an early slot is to be admired. 070 Shake was next for us, and it’s rare to see someone so chill while performing on a festival’s main stage. She kept a smile on her face, strolling down the runway, joking around with the crowd. “I see you girl!” She shouted to everyone who got on someone else’s shoulders, encouraging others to do the same. She ended with a modified version of ‘Ghost Town’, which seemed to have the entire crowd singing along. Throwing her microphone into the crowd, she allowed her band to close out. Without exaggerating, it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had at a festival. After that was Kelly Lee Owens, a producer and electronic musician from Wales, a recent discovery for us, but one who is now firmly on our playlists. She held the crowd in the palm of her hand, equally as impressive vocally and on her synth. I would’ve been perfectly happy dancing to her all day; she managed to turn a circus tent in Victoria Park into a sweaty underground club. Over on the main stage, The Japanese House provided a much more relaxed moment in the day. It was a good time to grab some food and sit a little further back while listening to some gorgeous dreampop. She mentions that she is properly performing on home turf here, as she lived close enough to cycle. The next day, while scrolling TikTok, I discovered there was some drama about overcrowding during The Dare, meaning that half the crowd was stopped from coming in by security. However, as we’d arrived about 15 minutes early to his set, we remained blissfully unaware of this as we stood near the front of the stage. People were jumping up and down, getting off, eyes wide, singing along. His heavier songs hit better than his slower ones, which is to be expected at a ‘partygirl’ festival. ‘It girl’ of the last couple of years, PinkPantheress, appeared at the end to sing her new ‘American Boy’ inspired hit ‘Stateside’, which The Dare produced. He kindly held her bag during her set – what a gentleman. We stayed firmly planted here for Bladee, who came onto the stage with his hood up and a massive flag in his hand. As someone who’s been surrounded by drainers since moving to London, it felt a little bizarre that many had no idea who he was, but to loyal fans, it was clear this was a special moment as he closed his set by bringing out Ecco2k to perform their new song. And then finally, of course, Charli XCX was on the main stage. Providing a theatrical performance full of flashy visuals, choreographed dance pieces and even rain, the crowd were fixated on her every move. It became clear that most were newer fans as the audience was surprisingly quiet during her older hit ‘Vroom Vroom’, but the energy was at an all-time high during her brat tracks and the Barbie movie hit ‘Speed Drive’. She brought AG Cook and Bladee out as guests, and once again, the crowd seemed a little lost. We ended up having to explain who they were to the group next to us, but hopefully, it does something to spread hyperpop awareness to the masses. As she’s done previously, she finished by allowing her visuals to speak for her. “I want this to last forever”, they read, “it wasn’t just a summer thing… it’s a forever thing xx” and so far, with Charli’s shows only rising in popularity, it seems like that may be the case. You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆
OUTBREAK 2025 Review – Hot Sticky Hardcore
OUTBREAK 2025 Review – Hot Sticky Hardcore It was a swelteringly hot Friday, not ideal weather for heavy cotton band shirts and mosh pits, but that wasn’t going to deter any of the attendees of Outbreak festival. 2 July 2025 By Caitlin Taylor Momma was the first band we encountered on the main stage. They’re straight out of a 00s teen film soundtrack, accentuated by the duo’s strong American twang. Like most of the American acts who came over for the day, they were shocked by the heat but still managed to provide a fun set. Fleshwater followed, more on the hardcore side, with heavy guitars and bold vocals. “I want the biggest circle in the world!’ yelled a member of the band, which the British audience were initially hesitant to do, maybe due to the heat, but they eventually caught the drift. The one criticism we really had was the capacity of The Club Stage, as we didn’t manage to get in at all. We were incredibly keen to catch both feeble little horse and Jane Remover, but due to being faced with a queue that seemed to curl back around itself endlessly, we ended up just standing near the entrance and trying desperately to catch what we could. Next, we had Julie, who was our highlight of the day. They began by playing a video of someone playing the cello, which broke down as the band walked onstage. We likened them to Bar Italia’s little American cousins, lacking the nonchalance of the European indie darlings, which isn’t a negative. At times reminiscent of Nirvana, their drum work was particularly impressive. Definitely one to check out. Closing out there was a characteristically excellent set from lo-fi indie king Alex G, which featured some deep cuts and mental instrumentation we were big fans of, followed by Turnstile, a band who’ve blown up massively over the past year. A momentous ending full of moshing and jumping around, insane that most had energy after the 30-degree temperatures. It was an impressive London launch for Outbreak, with a really great selection of both hardcore and shoegaze artists. We’re already excited for next year! You might also like ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Recent Posts ⋆⭒˚.⋆