Charli XCX’s UK Tour and Efforts to Revitalize Club Culture

Charli XCX’s Brat arena tour has commenced in the UK. The series of performances, which began in Manchester on Wednesday, seeks to extend the enthusiasm of ‘Brat summer’ into the colder months. A central inquiry is whether this extensive tour can provide the vital impetus that the UK’s club scene currently requires. London-based DJ Moxie conveyed to BBC Newsbeat that “The clubbing landscape right now, I would say honestly it’s quite terrifying.” Data from the Music Venue’s Trust indicates that over 100 music venues across the UK ceased hosting live music events last year, with more than 50% of these establishments permanently shutting down. Moxie explained, “We rely on a lot of students and a lot of students are not going out.” She added, “They’re prioritising staying in because they can’t quite afford to go out,” and concluded, “Everything has gone up and that’s had such a knock on effect on venues.” The establishments currently facing closure or struggling to remain operational are precisely the kinds of locations where Charli XCX refined her artistic abilities. Charli has previously recounted how her parents would take her to raves during her teenage years, and she performed at warehouse gigs prior to her current success of selling out arenas. Moxie stated, “She has been around for such a long time and she used to go out – I would be at raves that she was at when she was like 15.” Moxie further commented, “She is opening up the conversation about the sorts of places that have inspired her.” As these venues face disappearance, Moxie expresses optimism that Charli’s followers will cultivate an affinity for club music, a genre whose popularity has been diminishing. This prospect is particularly strong “Especially if someone like Charli XCX is telling them: ‘This is where I’ve come from, the clubs have made me, it’s part of my DNA’.” Charli is not the only artist introducing club music to a wider audience; Fred Again served as a headliner at the Reading and Leeds festival during the summer, and Peggy Gou has successfully completed a series of sold-out concerts. “Brat” marks Charli’s sixth album and has received nominations for several accolades, including three Grammys and the Mercury Prize. Soon after, a remix album, “Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat,” was released, alongside an arena tour. Audiences typically anticipate elevated prices for performances by prominent artists headlining arena venues. Nevertheless, at Charli’s concert in Manchester on Wednesday, friends Niamh and Freya conveyed that they were “really surprised” to have paid only £40 each to attend the Charli XCX show. They remarked, “We thought it would be more expensive,” and concluded, “It wasn’t bad at all – it was really affordable.” In comparison, tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour cost fans an average of £206. Standard standing admission for Beyoncé’s Renaissance shows could reach £410, and entry to Billie Eilish’s forthcoming UK concerts might cost up to £398. Over 50% of individuals in the UK have indicated that elevated costs have deterred them from attending live music events within the past five years. Among the demographic under 34 years old, two-thirds have reported a subsequent reduction in their frequency of attending such events. Tasha and Lucas likewise purchased their tickets for £40 and anticipate that Charli XCX will provide impetus to the clubbing sector. They journeyed from Chester, a place where Lucas remarked “there’s not a huge club scene,” yet they regularly travel to other towns and cities to support musical artists and venues. Tasha conveyed that they have consistently appreciated the club scene and are enthusiastic that Charli has integrated it further into mainstream culture. She commented, “She’s the first in our first generation to make that crossover.” Lucas supplemented, “She’s breaking boundaries.” Other concert-goers who spoke with Newsbeat at the event indicated their recent introduction to clubbing, attributing their entry into the scene to Charli’s music. Fan Amara remarked, “Party culture died out a bit,” adding, “I hope this revives it.” Music journalist and critic Shaad D’Souza informed Newsbeat that he “has to hope and pray” that a significant number of Charli’s fans share Amara’s eagerness for engaging in clubbing and social outings. He expressed particular enthusiasm regarding the potential implications of “Brat” for the genre’s future, in addition to encouraging individuals to go out dancing and patronize venues. D’Souza commented, “It’s refreshing that someone’s going to the underground for new sounds.” He elaborated, “Because what we see a lot lately is pop musicians’ direct reference points are the history of pop.” He cited Tate McRae’s allusions to Britney Spears as an illustration, contrasting this with artists such as Madonna and Prince, who, in prior decades, drew inspiration from various styles beyond pop and introduced them to the mainstream. Shaad asserted, “I think that’s what Charli is doing here and I think that’s something that’s been missing.” He further stated, “We lose something when pop references itself.” Pertaining to the potential contribution of the Brat tour to the clubbing scene, Shaad maintains that, despite an expanding market for high-profile events such as festivals and the Eras tour, large-scale concerts can harmoniously exist alongside a more modest club scene. He declared, “I don’t think the big pop tour is eating the small club landscape.” He attributed local club closures to “property development and council regulations,” asserting that “no one pop star is not responsible for clubs closing.”