Brisbane’s Showgrounds have seen some rowdy festival moments, but nothing quite like the hyper-pop uprising that erupted when Charli XCX took the stage at Laneway 2025.
The event will be remembered for many things—the summer heat, the sea of neon-green-clad brat baddies, and most importantly, the absolute carnage that unfolded when Charli XCX hit the stage. From the second she strutted at approximately 9:15 PM, dressed in tiny black shorts, knee-high boots, and bathed in the retina-searing green glow of her Brat era, it was clear: Brisbane Showgrounds had officially transformed into the capital of brat summer.
Charli didn’t just headline, she blew the roof off it, set it on fire, and left an entire festival in the wake of her brat-powered reign.
With the distorted club throb of “365 (Shygirl Remix)” shaking the ground beneath our feet, Charli wasted zero time launching lime-green adorned punters into an hour of high-energy, high-emotion carnage. For 75 minutes, Charli ruled with futuristic synths and a level of chaos that could probably power an entire inner-city grid.
@ellenrwatson @Charli XCX #charlixcx #laneway #brisbane
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From “Rewind” to the chaotic, euphoric scream-along of “Von Dutch,” the energy never dipped. The crowd—a perfectly unhinged mix of hyperpop devotees, rave rats, and people who still quote Skins unironically—lost their minds in unison. “Club Classics” hit like a strobe-lit fever dream. “Unlock It” had people two-stepping so hard they left their souls in the mosh. “Girl, So Confusing” became an emotional group therapy session, with thousands screaming Lorde’s verse into the abyss.
By the time she got to “Guess,” Billie Eilish’s absence barely registered—the crowd took over her verse without missing a beat.
And then, just when it seemed like things couldn’t get more unhinged, she dropped “Vroom Vroom.”
If there was an official soundtrack for making terrible decisions at 3 AM, this was it. People were throwing themselves into the air like their lives depended on it. At least three bucket hats were sacrificed in the name of pop supremacy.
@ellenrwatson @Charli XCX #charlixcx #laneway #brisbane
By the time Charli hit the final chorus of “I Love It”, Brisbane was in shambles. A wasteland of glitter, sunglasses worn purely for aesthetics, punters lying on the ground whispering “brat summer is forever” to themselves.
Charli’s grip on Australia is stronger than ever. Her 2022 album “Crash” went No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and by 2024, “Brat” had evolved beyond just a record—it was a movement. TikTok was overrun with brat-coded dance challenges. The DIY fashion scene was drowning in neon-green mesh. Indie sleaze was back from the grave, low-rise jeans and all. If hyperpop was once a niche, Charli obliterated that boundary, proving that her brand of sweaty, chaotic, club-ready pop was more than just a trend—it was a lifestyle.
Laneway wasn’t just a festival slot for Charli. It was a victory lap. A confirmation that the brat movement wasn’t just an online moment—it was alive, throbbing, and pulsating through the veins of thousands of festival-goers losing their minds in real-time.
Brisbane might still be recovering, but one thing’s for sure: brat summer didn’t end in the Northern Hemisphere. It just relocated.
@ellenrwatson Guess – Charli xcx #brisbane #laneway #charlixcx @Charli XCX
