REVIEW: Charli XCX, Troye Sivan conclude BRAT summer at Chase Center
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been quite a summer for pop artist Charlotte Aitchison, better known as Charli XCX. She released a new album, BRAT, entered the mainstream lexicon with a co-sign from Vice President Kamala Harris and turned what would have been another “hot girl summer” into “BRAT summer.”
She then partnered with alt-pop artist Troye Sivan, who himself released new music, for their joint Sweat Tour, during which the two have collaborated and played off each other while nodding to the club culture that’s fueling their music these days.
That tour, now in its last week, arrived at Chase Center in the City on Sunday.
The show read like a play or a dialogue between Aitchison and Sivan, as they switched off every few songs over five acts. While Sivan, who kicked things off, had choreography and backup dancers, Charli XCX was solo, relying on the crowd to fuel her performance. During the viral “Apple,” several attendees were chosen to be put up onscreen as they did the trending TikTok dance.
“You don’t want to be like that guy on the internet!” she yelled, referring to internet personality Brittany Broski being shoved by someone else doing the Apple Dance at an L.A. show last Friday.
Show opener Shygirl joined Aitchison onstage for a remix of “365” before the pace slowed a bit as the song transitioned to “360” and then “Von Dutch.” For there latter, the lighting and aesthetic mimicked the feel of the song’s video.
BRAT was the album she was promoting, but Charli XCX included older fan favorites like “Vroom Vroom,” from the 2016 EP of the same name that signaled her transition from more traditional pop to the glitchy PC Music deviation championed by the likes of A.G. Cook (with whom she’s worked). That raised the energy of the room.
“Hands up! Hands up, hands up!” Charli XCX yelled.
“Track 10,” from mixtape Pop 2, was another solid reminder of the work and journey that has led Aitchison to this moment. A cameraman followed her around the stage as she flittered about, belting, “I blame it on your love” as the beat raged on.
Her original breakout hit, “I Love It,” a collaboration with duo Icona Pop, also riled up attendees. Other highlights included “Speed Drive,” from the “Barbie” soundtrack, and Pop 2‘s “Unlock It.”
With spiky but slicked-back hair, wearing a faux fur coat and a toting a small green bag, Aitchison strutted up and down the stage’s catwalk, her voice heavily distorted with Auto-Tune, singing both hers and Lorde’s verses on a remix of “Girl, so confusing.” Then during a remix of “Guess,” she provocatively danced to the music.
Though Troye Sivan and Charli XCX kept swapping back and forth, it all felt cohesive and intentional.
Sivan kicked off the show with three of his own songs, starting with “Got Me Started,” which smoothly transitioned to “What’s the Time Where You Are?” and “My My My!”
“San Francisco, you might be our biggest show yet!” he gleefully yelled as he ran from one end of the stage to the other, matching his dancers’ choreography in the process.
A video projected a skit of Sivan in drag as he took a phone call from a potential lover just before he came out to “One of Your Girls,” during which he proceeded to give a steamy lap dance to one of the dancers.
After “Bloom,” the music shifted to “Spring Breakers” as backlit scaffolding revealed a silhouette of Aitchison.
“Oh my God, is that Charli XCX?!” Sivan yelled as he ran off stage, and the song began.
“Hi it’s me, you’re all in danger!” Aitchison announced.
The two shared the stage at times, and other notable moments included them duetting on “1999” for the encore. They bounced off of each other’s energy and hugged as they returned for a grande finale of the “Talk Talk” remix, going up onto a raised platform to overlook the entire room.
English artist Shygirl (Blane Muise) opened the show, accompanied by two dancers for her electrifying 30-minute set.
“Who is here to sweat?” she coyly asked before she performed songs like “4eva,” Tasty,” “Cleo” and “Nike.”
Shygirl then announced that she’d be performing an unreleased song, signaling for South Bay native Saweetie to come on stage to perform “Immaculate” together. The song was a hard-hitting track that combined the musical style of each artist.