In this new series, our editors Ali and Gabi take a look at the week’s main talking points in music and pop culture. An edited version of the near-constant dialogue they have over text and voice notes, “We Listen and We Judge” features strong opinions but also very strong love for all things music. This week, they’re talking about their trip to the UK last week to see the Charli XCX-curated Lido Festival in London and Sam Fender ’s final of three homecoming shows in a row at St James’ Park in Newcastle.
Gabi: For both of us it was a no brainer that we wanted to be at those gigs. You are probably the biggest Charli XCX fan I know, I love Sam Fender to shreds. After we got home, you sent me a message saying: “You know we attended the two most talked about music events in the UK this weekend?” We hadn’t even thought about the significance in pop culture of these two events – we just really wanted to be there as fans and music lovers. But I was wondering, especially since you’re from the UK, why do you think there was such a hype around these two shows?
Ali: It was such an incredible weekend! For me, I just wanted to be at two shows for artists I love, but then when I got back to Denmark and saw all the media coverage, I thought, yeah actually, we really did attend the two biggest music events last weekend!
I think with Charli, there is so much hype around everything she does right now and it’s hard to see that ending anytime soon. Every show is massive! Lido Festival felt extra special though, because she had curated the line-up and it was a rare opportunity to experience artists like Gesaffelstein, as well as see artists on the same stage, who are part of the Charli world and have really inspired her. She is such a music lover – I feel like people don’t appreciate that about her. They see the big hair and the underwear and how she dances. They really don’t see the artistry and the absolute passion she has for electronic music. I think that’s the main thing that drives her – I don’t think it’s so much about being a massive star and it’s definitely not about being hot!
I’ve seen Charli three times before but I’ve never seen her onstage with A.G. Cook, for example, who is her closest collaborator. That was really special. How did you find it, seeing her BRAT show for the first time?
Gabi: I saw Charli XCX for the first time in 2019, and I remember even back then being super impressed by how she rocked the stage, solely on her own. No dancers, no DJ, not even a super elaborate video or light show – just her! I feel like it takes a lot of power and confidence as an artist to carry a show like that all on your own. And she really has taken that to the next level with her BRAT show. It’s just her having a party, isn’t it? And that transfers directly to the audience. The way people were dancing, singing and celebrating, it felt more like being in a club than in a huge festival crowd. Charli is up there on stage, but at the same time it’s like she’s just dancing with us. I think that’s what I probably love the most about her – she just enjoys it so much.
And that makes her a lot less performative than a lot of other female pop stars. Like, yes, she’s up there shaking her butt, but with the same energy as if she was doing it in a club on the dancefloor or even at home in her own living room. Maybe that’s why people connect with her so much. She’s not so much like “I’m doing this for you” but rather like “I’m doing this WITH you”. I still can’t believe she came to the aftershow party and danced until 3 am! She really is the 365 party girl. I admire her energy very much.
Ali: Yes I totally agree, the whole vibe is like being in a club. You feel like you’re on a night out with your most hedonistic friend and being carried along by how into it she is! I feel very strongly that it’s collaborative, not performative.
The after party!! So we left Lido about 11pm, took a wrong path through Victoria Park and ended up trapped behind a locked gate. We had to be rescued by a young girl who lived in one of the houses opposite, she came along with a stepladder and helped a big group of us over the fence. She was so casual about it – just said it happens all the time! That fence – I am so bruised from it!
And then we just continued on our casual way, got some crisps and Coke Zero in a corner shop and went off to queue for an hour at Colour Factory for the afterparty. Nothing holds us back! I remember feeling utterly destroyed by that point – my feet were so sore – but we saw A.G. Cook and Kelly Lee Owens DJ. Kelly is incredible! We missed her set at Lido because we were guarding our spots at the front for Charli, so it was great to catch her.
And of course Charli and George Daniel, her fiance, co-producer and the 1975 drummer, turned up to dance for a bit. Given Charli was doing Parklife festival in Manchester the following day and then had a bunch of gigs this week, it’s amazing she came at all. But I think she just can’t keep away! She loves a club!
So we were broken, but it was so worth it. And what makes us such a great combination is that we both feel exactly the same way about situations like that. I remember turning to you and saying, we stay till 3am and then we see what’s happening. It never entered our heads to not go to that after party!
Gabi: And then we slept for about an hour and got on the 7am bus to Newcastle to see Sam Fender. Most people, when I tell them about the things we do, they look at me as if I had lost my mind. They say, “You are insane, I could never do that!” I hear that a lot, funnily enough mostly from people much younger than us! It wasn’t that bad actually, was it? We slept quite well on that bus and treated ourselves to some warm Greggs pastries for breakfast, very on brand since Sam Fender loves Greggs. It unites us that we are on such a constant high when we go on these concert trips together.
I was so incredibly excited to See Sam Fender in Newcastle! I desperately wanted to go in 2023, when he played St. James’ Park for the first time. But there was no chance of getting tickets. I still can’t really fathom how we managed this time. His music is so dear to me. It’s so emotional and heartfelt and sad and joyous at the same time. Maybe it’s because I discovered him during the pandemic – he gives me a strong sense of community and belonging, especially when I see him in concert, together with other people. And he is such a local hero in Newcastle. People are so proud of him and genuinely love and cherish him. I felt like it must be very special to see him there, knowing how loved he is and how special it is for him to play there.
And it truly was! It was a kind of musical pilgrimage for me. I had seen so many videos from 2023. And when we came to Newcastle and finally stood inside that stadium, I couldn’t believe we really made it there. I almost cried. Now every time I see videos of that show, I keep sending them to you, saying: I can’t believe we were there!
Ali: With the Sam St James Park show, I honestly don’t know if I have the words to explain what it meant. It was a hugely emotional experience. Over 50000 fans in a stadium in his home city, the home stadium of the football team he’s devoted to and has sat in as a Newcastle fan so many times – it was huge. It really felt like there was such love from the crowd to him, but also him to the crowd. He loves that place and he made that show feel so intimate. It was such a celebration of the people who have been part of his journey as an artist too. His guitar teacher, his brother, friends who supported him like Olivia Dean and CMAT.
You pointed out to me the two young boys in the crowd beside us – they were maybe a bit older than my son, who’s 14, and they literally clung to each other for the whole gig. I can’t ever say enough about what Sam Fender is doing for young men who come from working class communities like North Shields. You said something about how he’s giving the city this thing to be proud of that encompasses football, but also goes beyond it. I think that’s so true.
Gabi: I’ve been thinking a lot about this ever since. The whole atmosphere was so peaceful and joyous. All these thousands of people go to the stadium in their Newcastle and Sam Fender shirts to celebrate together. Community wise it’s like football, except there is nothing at stake. There will be no winners and no losers that night, everyone will go home with the same joy and happiness. The way people flooded the streets afterwards and went hunting for chips and drinks. Just happy faces everywhere! But omg, how we cried during that show!
Ali: I started crying when he played “Spit of You” and I didn’t really stop for the rest of the show, which isn’t like me, much as I love music! But that is Sam – he is a really, really special artist. And like we said, where else could you see an event like that in a place like that and there’s no aggression, no hassle, no macho behaviour? You said artists get the crowd they deserve!
Gabi: The message artists send out to their audience is so important. Sam Fender’s message is about kindness, community, belonging, believing in yourself and growing beyond yourself. It is so wholesome and healing in a time that is defined by aggression, nationalism and vile rhetoric. I remember how you said to me a couple of years ago, how important you find someone like Sam, as a role model for your two sons. And now one of them has really gotten into his music and bought his vinyl on a school trip! I almost cried when you told me that!
Ali: And they are both called Sam! He’s joined a band now so maybe one day he’ll be playing for a crowd! I wonder how it feels for Sam’s old teacher and childhood friends to see how successful he has become! They must be so proud.
Gabi: So, these two shows couldn’t have been more different. But I feel like they both had a much bigger dimension than a regular pop show. The feeling of community was really strong that weekend. I’m also thinking of all the young gay kids we met at both shows. The sweet young lesbians from Newcastle who were so interested in your long term relationship! Or the two gay guys from the US at Lido Festival. Being openly gay isn’t as easy anymore as it used to be, and the whole world is not changing for the better when it comes to that, especially in the US. They were so lovely and at ease, and it makes me so happy that there are artists who manage to create an atmosphere like that at their shows, one of unity and acceptance. It’s not just entertainment. It’s vital to our society.
Ali: And for me, age 45, I feel privileged to be in those spaces and that music brings people together like that. Thinking particularly about age, there are so many people in their 40s and beyond who don’t mix with younger people and don’t realise that we all have so much more in common than we think. Some of the polarized positions around gender that we see just now in the UK especially – there is a gulf between Gen Z and Gen X, maybe even millennials too. I’m so happy that music creates this common space and shared understanding.
We both feel so comfortable in the front pit of a gig, surrounded by fans in their teens and 20s, and actually that’s not so normal. Remember that 17-year old guy who said to us, “You guys are the best people to be next to at a gig”?! But at Sam, that crowd was so mixed as well. You had women and men, young and old, queer people and straight people all together at the front. That is really quite rare I think.
Honestly, I could talk about these two shows forever!