Live Review: Charli XCX at The Kia Forum

Few artists have navigated the ever-changing landscape of pop music quite like Charli XCX. Throughout her career, the British singer-songwriter has continuously challenged the conventions of the genre, embracing experimentation, unconventional production, and an artistic identity that refuses to remain stagnant. From her early ventures into mainstream pop to the groundbreaking success of BRAT, Charli has established herself as an artist whose influence extends far beyond music. Rather than allowing the cultural phenomenon of BRAT to define the remainder of her career, she has continued to evolve, embracing new creative territories through her latest project, Music, Fashion, Film.

With a renewed artistic vision that draws inspiration from the worlds of music, fashion, and cinema, Charli has entered another ambitious chapter of her career. Her latest material reflects an artist increasingly interested in exploring the relationship between sound, imagery, and performance, further blurring the boundaries between these creative mediums. Bringing her Music, Fashion, Film Tour to the Kia Forum in Inglewood for the first of two Los Angeles performances, Charli had the opportunity to translate this evolving artistic identity into a full-scale arena production.

Opening the evening was underscores, the San Francisco-born experimental pop artist known for her unconventional approach to music. Combining electronic production, distorted guitars, and an unpredictable blend of genres, underscores has developed a distinctive sound that sets her apart in the alternative pop landscape. Her 2021 debut album fishmonger and its follow-up, Wallsocket, helped establish her as one of the more inventive voices in the genre. Opening with “Unlimited Love,” she wasted little time introducing the audience to her eccentric musical universe, accompanied by colorful visuals of hearts projected across the massive screen behind her.

Throughout the performance, the screen served as an extension of her music, featuring animated imagery that complemented the electronic production and shifting rhythms of each song. During “Music,” for example, an assortment of headphones appeared across the screen, changing in synchronization with the beat. Taking a moment to acknowledge the occasion, underscores thanked Charli for inviting her on tour and expressed her disbelief at performing inside a venue as sizable as the Kia Forum. She also recognized several fans who had brought light sticks from her own headlining tour, a small but meaningful reminder of the dedicated following she has cultivated. The set also featured a playful dedication of “hollywood forever” to the Los Angeles audience. Closing with “Music,” underscores delivered an impressive opening performance that demonstrated her ability to command a much larger stage, suggesting that a headlining appearance at the Forum may not be entirely out of reach in the future.

Following underscores’ performance, anticipation continued to build throughout the arena as concertgoers made their final trips to the merchandise stands and concession areas. When the house lights eventually dimmed, the stage revealed a towering arrangement of elevated platforms crowned by an enormous speaker, a production design reminiscent of Charli’s appearance at Outside Lands earlier this year. The industrial-inspired structure offered a stark contrast to the colorful visuals that preceded it, establishing an imposing backdrop for the evening’s headlining performance. As the opening notes of “Rock Music” filled the arena, Charli emerged to an enthusiastic reception, immediately setting the evening into motion.

Throughout the performance, Charli’s latest material was accompanied by an elaborate visual presentation that brought the themes of Music, Fashion, Film into focus. The towering stage structure, dramatic lighting, and carefully arranged choreography created an atmosphere that drew inspiration from both the nightclub and the fashion runway. One of the clearest examples arrived during “Card Declined,” when a catwalk extending from the main stage became the centerpiece of the performance. Enormous lighting fixtures surrounding the platform rose into the air, illuminating the runway as Charli’s dancers strutted along it like models at a fashion show. The sequence transformed the arena into a high-fashion spectacle, demonstrating how the tour incorporated fashion into the performance itself rather than simply using it as a visual reference.

Beyond the elaborate production, Charli’s ability to connect with her audience remained one of the evening’s defining qualities. The performance moved effortlessly between the more experimental sounds of her latest album and the familiar electronic pop that has shaped her career. The Lorde remix of “Girl, so confusing” was particularly enjoyable, bringing an infectious burst of energy into the arena as fans enthusiastically sang along. These moments highlighted the communal atmosphere that has become synonymous with Charli’s live performances, where the boundary between performer and audience often feels secondary to the shared experience of the music.

One of the evening’s biggest surprises arrived when Charli welcomed Chappell Roan to the stage for a performance of “Boom Clap.” The unexpected collaboration brought together two of contemporary pop’s most recognizable figures for a rendition of one of Charli’s earliest mainstream hits. Originally released in 2014, the song represented a markedly different period of her career, making its inclusion particularly interesting within a performance dedicated to her latest artistic evolution. Roan’s appearance transformed the familiar track into one of the night’s most memorable moments, offering a reminder of how far Charli has come since her earlier mainstream successes.

The energy throughout the arena remained remarkably consistent as the performance moved into the more club-oriented side of Charli’s catalog. The influence of BRAT was especially apparent, with its abrasive synthesizers, pulsating basslines, and infectious dance rhythms providing some of the evening’s most energetic moments. Extended arrangements and transitions between songs created the atmosphere of an enormous nightclub, allowing the music to flow without constantly interrupting the momentum. The Dare, who contributed to the evening’s DJ-driven production and mixes, helped reinforce that club atmosphere. Rather than feeling like a traditional pop concert built around individual songs, portions of the performance unfolded like a continuous dance party, with the production emphasizing the physical energy of the music.

The evening also featured a surprise appearance from PinkPantheress, who joined Charli for a performance of “Stateside.” The collaboration brought together two artists whose approaches to electronic pop have helped shape the genre’s contemporary landscape. PinkPantheress’ melodic sensibilities offered a refreshing contrast to the more aggressive production heard elsewhere throughout the evening, adding another dimension to the performance. Elsewhere, the provocative spirit of Charli’s music was reflected in moments of playful spectacle, including pairs of underwear launched into the audience during “Guess.” These unexpected touches helped maintain a sense of spontaneity, balancing the carefully constructed production with moments that felt deliberately chaotic.

As the performance approached its final stretch, the contrast between Charli’s different musical identities became increasingly apparent. The vulnerable songwriting of “party 4 u” offered a moment of emotional release, while the explosive production of “Vroom Vroom” brought the intensity back to the arena. The shift demonstrated how comfortably Charli moves between introspective pop and abrasive electronic music, two approaches that might seem contradictory but have remained central to her artistic identity. Rather than separating these different eras of her career, the performance allowed them to coexist, giving longtime listeners and newer fans an opportunity to experience the full range of her catalog.

The evening ultimately culminated with “No One Lasts Forever,” returning the focus to Music, Fashion, Film for its final moments. After a performance that explored the various sounds and visual identities that have defined her career, the closing selection offered a fitting conclusion to an ambitious production. The evening had moved through experimental electronic music, club culture, high-fashion imagery, and unexpected collaborations, all while maintaining the distinctive personality that has made Charli such a compelling performer.

For Charli XCX, artistic evolution has never meant abandoning the music that came before. Instead, each new project has offered an opportunity to reinterpret her influences and challenge established expectations. Her performance at the Kia Forum demonstrated that Music, Fashion, Film is not simply a departure from the cultural phenomenon of BRAT, but another chapter in a career that has consistently resisted predictability. With an ambitious stage production, striking choreography, and surprise appearances from Chappell Roan and PinkPantheress, the evening celebrated the many dimensions of her artistry. More importantly, it illustrated that even after achieving one of the defining pop moments of the decade, Charli remains far more interested in exploring what comes next than recreating what has already happened.

Setlist

1. Rock Music
2. Yeah
3. Apple
4. Wink Wink
5. Persona
6. Card Declined
7. I’m Afraid
8. Track 10
9. Girl, so confusing (Lorde remix)
10. pink diamond
11. House
12. Boom Clap (with Chappell Roan)
13. Dying for You
14. Club classics
15. 365
16. 360
17. Sympathy is a knife
18. Von dutch
19. Stateside (with PinkPantheress)
20. Guess (with The Dare)
21. If You Take Away the Music Then What Has She Got?
22. 2007
23. Camera
24. party 4 u
25. Vroom Vroom
26. Playboy Bunny
27. Magic Metal Montana
28. SS26
29. No One Lasts Forever