Six years after her previous appearance at the festival, Charli XCX returned to the Reading stage on Friday night to debut the ambitious production at the center of her latest artistic era. This Charli XCX Reading Festival performance was a stark departure from her 2019 afternoon set—which relied on the sun-drenched pop of “1999” and “Boom Clap”—proving to be a masterclass in cinematic stagecraft and creative evolution.
Despite a young audience hoping for nostalgic hits—with some fans even displaying digital pleas for “I Love It” on their phone screens—the evening belonged to Charli the rockstar. Headlining a lineup dominated by traditional guitar-led acts, the massive speaker-stack production felt appropriately grand, scaling up the hedonistic energy of her previous tours into something far more imposing.
While high-octane tracks like “Von dutch” and the bass-heavy “365” injected the set with club-inspired adrenaline, and the viral success of “Apple” garnered a massive response, the core of the performance was dedicated to her latest chart-topping record, Music, Fashion, Film. The album’s lead single, “Rock Music,” has already established itself as a definitive fan favorite, with thousands headbanging alongside the artist as rain and pyrotechnics created a visceral, high-stakes backdrop.
The atmosphere shifted during “House,” a standout track from her Wuthering Heights soundtrack contribution, where monochrome visuals and falling sparks created a sense of claustrophobic intensity. The scale of the event was further elevated by a troupe of dancers who provided sharp choreography during “Card Declined,” matching Charli’s high-fashion-meets-punk aesthetic. Her wardrobe—ranging from a glittery jacket to an oversized ripped white t-shirt for the b-sides “If You Take Away the Music Then What Has She Got?” and “Playboy Bunny”—perfectly mirrored the raw, uncompromising energy of this latest incarnation.
Closing with the emotive “No One Lasts Forever,” Charli stood motionless as a David Cronenberg quote—“oblivion is freedom”—flashed behind her. The final tableau, reminiscent of a Renaissance painting, made one thing certain: Charli XCX is no longer bound by the conventions of the pop industry; she is rewriting them entirely.