Charli xcx Brings Out Bladee for Live Debut of ‘Rewind' Remix at London's Lido Festival, Declares ‘Brat' Summer a ‘Forever Thing'
Charli xcx declared 'Brat' summer a 'forever thing' during her headlining set at Lido Festival in London on Saturday night, just over a year since the album released and took over the music world.
At the end of the hour-long performance, Charli left fans with a written message displayed on the stage's screen with flashing lights: ''Brat' summer is over. But actually… I don't think it is. So tell me the truth: Will you hate me if I stick around? Because honestly I don't know who I am if it's over. And so… I've decided I want this to last forever. It wasn't just a summer thing… it's a forever thing. Please don't let it be over.'
More from Variety
Charli xcx Drops 'Party 4 U' Video Five Years After Release
'100 Nights of Hero,' Fairy Tale Romance Starring Emma Corrin, Charli XCX, Nicholas Galitzine, Maika Monroe Sells to Independent Film Company (EXCLUSIVE)
Charli xcx to Star in and Produce 'Audition' Director Takashi Miike's Next Film (EXCLUSIVE)
The avant-pop pioneer also brought out elusive Swedish rapper Bladee for the first-ever live performance of their 'Rewind' remix, though it wasn't without technical difficulties. The original version of 'Rewind' was played at first, with Charli singing through the lyrics: 'I used to never feel embarrassed/Feel embarrassed when I called up the paparazzi.' She then realized and said, 'Wait, hold on. We gotta stop, we gotta stop. Are we doing the wrong version?' As the crowd chattered in confusion, Charli walked off stage for a brief moment as Bladee greeted the crowd. 'What's up, London? Let's try again.' After Charli and Bladee hugged it out, the remixed version of the song started to play. 'My bad!' Charli added.
Charli xcx halts a performance of 'Rewind' ft. Bladee at London's #LidoFestival: 'Hold up, are we doing the wrong version?' pic.twitter.com/aTzRAgP7lT
— Variety (@Variety) June 14, 2025
Bladee had just headlined the event's second stage as part of Charli's curated 'Partygirl' lineup at Lido Festival. Other performers included the Dare, who brought out Pink Pantheress for their song 'Stateside'; French DJ Gasaffelstein, who delivered his set covered in dark silver body paint; the Japanese House; 070 Shake; A.G. Cook; Magdalena Bay; and Kelly Lee Owens.
Elsewhere in Charli's set, 'Chicken Shop Date' host Amelia Dimoldenberg was selected as the 'Apple' girl, performing the viral TikTok dance as fans shouted in approval. Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson — who are set to portray Paul McCartney and John Lennon, respectively, in the upcoming Beatles biopics — were also spotted together in the crowd (with many hoping they would be the 'Apple' dancers). Dickinson was at the fest to support his girlfriend, Rose Gray, who performed on the festival's club stage.
Amelia Dimoldenberg from "Chicken Shop Date" as Charli XCX's "Apple" girl. pic.twitter.com/piS7zPyNdH
— Variety (@Variety) June 14, 2025
Charli xcx will continue her 'Brat' festival tour with a highly anticipated set at Glastonbury later this month.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to British film visionary
Not many directors can convince a reigning monarch to appear in a comedy skit, but Elizabeth II was said to be "very amused" when invited by Danny Boyle to star in a James Bond sketch for the 2012 London Olympics. The Bury-born filmmaker will add the highly-anticipated 28 Years Later to a back catalogue that includes Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, as the zombie flick screens in cinemas this weekend. The 68-year-old has always been proud of his hometown of Radcliffe, and fulfilled a promise to mention his local social club during his Academy Awards acceptance speech in 2009. His family and friends gathered at St Mary's Catholic Social Club which his father used to run and where Boyle drank lemonade as a boy, to watch him on screen that year when Slumdog Millionaire scooped eight Oscars. The Indian-set movie, inspired by the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, became a runaway global success despite a relatively small $15m budget. But it was the latest in a string of unconventional movies that had become unexpected mainstream commercial successes for Boyle. He recently told the Guardian newspaper: "I want to push the boat out, but take the popular audience with me." Boyle became enamoured by cinema at a young age, and graduated with a degree in English and Drama from Bangor University in 1978. He later worked at the prestigious Royal Court in London, dubbed the "writers theatre", and directed productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. A move into making TV dramas for the BBC in Northern Ireland and ITV's Inspector Morse came next. Boyle drew fame in the mid-1990s when he directed the dark movie comedy Shallow Grave about Edinburgh flatmates who find a large suitcase of money, which starred Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor. The film's modern story telling and visual style was credited with breaking away from the traditional image of British cinema, which had been associated with period dramas. Boyle collaborated again with McGregor for Trainspotting with its gritty and humorous take on heroin addicts in the Scottish capital. However the pair fell out when Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the lead role for Boyle's 2000 movie The Beach. The director has admitted "we didn't treat [McGregor] very well", while the latter said he had "felt like it was a badge on my sleeve: I am Danny Boyle's actor". They have since made up and reunited with the rest of the Trainspotting cast to make a sequel in 2017. Boyle was chosen to direct a hugely memorable opening ceremony at the 2012 Olympics – dubbed Isles of Wonder. The extravaganza drew more than 20m viewers in the UK, and celebrated British achievements in industry, culture and the NHS. And then there was the viral moment when the Queen Elizabeth II appeared in a sketch with James Bond star Daniel Craig, where she had requested to utter the unforgettable words: "Good evening, Mr Bond." Boyle was later chosen to direct the most recent 007 film No Time To Die, but he pulled out months before the start of filming due to "creative differences". The filmmaker's risk-taking and creativity has won him not only fans among audiences but actors too. Jodie Comer, who appears in 28 Years Later, recently said to be "led by him and be on one of his sets is a proper dream". A follow-up to the 2002 film 28 Days Later, their new movie marks a return to horror for Boyle, who recently told the BBC he still found "something intangible but amazing about cinema". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Danny Boyle and Jodie Comer talk Covid, horror and making 28 Years Later 'The 28 Years Later make-up was terrifying'


News24
an hour ago
- News24
28 Years Later: A gory, nostalgic return with slow-burn zombie thrills
It's been almost three decades since the Rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still living in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amid the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well. Resurrecting the undead film franchise from an 18-year hiatus, 28 Years Later aims to breathe new life into the series by offering up a younger and initially timid protagonist – Spike, played by Alfie Williams. Spike is set to be the leading figure trailing a new path forward in the three new films of the franchise, with 28 Years Later kicking off the trio. Set in the rolling green hills of Scotland's Highlands, 28 Years Later shows us what life is like 28 years after the outbreak of the initial 'Rage' virus infection in the UK and the spread to neighbouring countries. Isolated from the rest of the world, we're welcomed into an enclosed island community of uninfected people just off the coast of the mainland. From the onset, the film visually has a very home-movie and nostalgic feel to the cinematography, which may work for some while seem out of place for others more accustomed to new high-res film equipment. This is likely due to the creative directorial choice to film the movie entirely using iPhone 15s and lens enhancers accordingly. The visual feel does, however, fit into the look and feel of the original 2002 film, which, at the time, used a Canon XL-1 camera to intentionally give it a low-fi look. This may be a nod to the original before releasing the new trio of films with new leading cast members, but the film does feel a bit chaotic during more intense battle scenes between humans and zombies – leaving some precision and pacing to be desired by this creative choice. The movie opens 28 years earlier on the Scottish mainland as we briefly follow the outbreak journey and how it impacts the family of a young boy, a platinum-haired survivor named Jimmy. After the opening scene, we're pushed into the future and into the island community, where we meet our protagonists, Spike and his parents, Isla and Jamie, played by Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, respectively. Jamie decides it's high time for his 12-year-old son to learn the ropes of zombie slaying and join him for a journey on the mainland to do just that – kill zombies with hand-crafted bows and arrows. The pair leave Isla behind, who is ill with an undisclosed disease and embark on their journey. The pair kick off their journey by walking across the sea on a singular road that tethers the island to the mainland, like the last thread of hope and salvation in the quarantined and cut-off nation. We learn that the road is only walkable during low tide, as it gets submerged during high tide. 2025 CTMG, Inc. During their trek, we are informed that the mainland is often used to forage and collect wood for fuel by members of the island community, but that no rescue missions are guaranteed if one ventures too far or remains on the mainland longer than expected. The father and son duo embark on a coming-of-age journey akin to older hunting traditions and, in the process, encounter the different types of zombies that have evolved and developed over the 28 years since the outbreak. We are first greeted by a slower variation of zombie, who drag their enlarged and decaying bodies on the ground with slug-like grace as they grunt and growl their way to an attack – or to a fresh batch of worms to slurp up. Later, the duo encounters a different type of zombie – a faster, leaner, and upright grouping – led by a stronger and smarter 'alpha' of the pack. Out of their depth and ability to fight them off, young Spike is overcome with fear, and they run to a hiding spot until it is safe to walk back to their island with the tide low enough to cross the ocean road. However, they have a final call with death as an alpha follows their tracks before getting shot down at the island fortress's gates. While the cinematography opted for a low-fi look, the costume makeup on the zombies did not – as the decrepit flesh looked as though you might catch a waft of it through the screen was uncomfortably realistic looking – even captured on the iPhone 15. The father-and-son journey happens in the film's first hour – leading one to anticipate what may come next. One may even assume the island community will be attacked by the alpha's pack, but that zombie fight never comes. Instead, Spike feels emboldened by his journey and a slap in the face of his father and leads his ill mother to the mainland after finding out that there is a doctor still alive and well on the mainland – but Jamie warns him that the doctor has strange methods. Despite this warning, Spike is determined and convinced this doctor will be able to diagnose and help his dying mother. The mother-and-son journey is slower paced, with emotional and philosophical twists, turns, and reflections along the way compared to the trip with Jamie, which aimed to toughen Spike up. On the mother and son journey, we meet Eric (played by Edvin Ryding), a washed-up patrol officer whose boat had sunk and whose team members were torn apart by zombies in earlier scenes. He joins Spike and Isla on their quest to find the doctor after saving them from a horde of infected that chased them into an abandoned and fumed-up petrol station store. During the trek of this newfound trio, we're treated to comedic relief by Eric, who cracks jokes every few seconds, and we discover that the world outside of this quarantined nation operates as usual and remains unaffected by the infected as Eric tells us about the life he's now left behind. Before reaching the doctor, Isla follows the screeching sounds of an infected woman in labour to an abandoned train and helps her give birth – where we discover that an infected person can carry and deliver an uninfected baby. The scene jumps into action as the alpha from this zombie's pack kills Eric and chases Isla and Spike once he discovers the zombie mom has been slain. At Kelson's compound, we're met with structured monuments compiled by bones of the deceased – human and infected, implying that we're all the same at our core. This, Kelson assures, is his way of honouring the deceased. From this point on, the movie takes on a much more philosophical and reflective tone – posing questions about who the monsters are and how different we are from the infected at all. This is a theme that has been done in the previous films from the franchise – by showing us characters who have made monstrous decisions in dire circumstances – whether it was only 28 days or 28 weeks after the outbreak. It pays homage to the philosophy of the earlier films by incorporating this element that likens humans to the zombies through Kelson's efforts and memorial. We also discover what ails Isla, which, for most of the film, one may believe to be a variant of the 'Rage' virus as seen in the second film, which affected our protagonist mother and son differently than the rest. During this discovery, Kelson helps Spike come to terms with the idea that death will come for us all and that we all are destined to die eventually. The movie's pace for this latter journey is significantly slower than the journey that sped by in that opening hour – leaving some zombie action to be desired, with an edging of fast-paced attacks here and there. The finale scenes see Spike return to the mainland on his own after delivering the uninfected baby to the island gates, as he is now determined to explore more of the mainland with the confidence of his two visits here already and experience in zombie killing. The film ends on a cliffhanger as adult Jimmy, played by Jack O'Connell, returns with a group of similarly dressed and platinum-haired team members to help Spike fight off some zombies – implying that Spike will join forces with them in the coming films. Overall, the film will surely please long-standing fans of the franchise with a similar feel and philosophical, reflective notes questioning how different we are from the infected through our decision-making. But new fans can also enjoy it as the film launches a new storyline for the series with a new group of leads to carry it on 28 years later. However, for those more accustomed to faster-paced, non-stop zombie-slaying action films, this film will seem a bit slower-paced at times and more reflective than a full thriller. But the gore does not skimp on making you gag from time to time. WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Dolce & Gabbana embrace wrinkled romance for spring-summer 2026
MILAN (AP) — Dolce & Gabbana beckoned the warm weather with crumpled, take-me-anywhere comfort in their menswear collection for spring-summer 2026, previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Saturday. The show opened and closed with a relaxed pajama silhouette — deliberately rumpled and effortless — in a clash of stripes, with both shorts and long trousers. The Beethoven soundtrack belied designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's more deliberate intent, underscoring the designers' structured approach to soft tailoring. A broad shoulder double-breasted suit jacket and tie worn with pink pinstriped PJ pants encapsulated the classic summer dilemma: work vs. pleasure. Raw knitwear, or furry overcoats, added texture. Boxers peeked out of waistbands, and big shirt cuffs out of jacket sleeves, challenging formal and casual codes. Nothing was cleaner on the runway than a crisp striped pajama top in sky-blue and white stripes tucked into white leather Bermuda shorts — good for work and for play. The designers' finale featured pajama suits, shorts and pants, with beaded floral patterned embroidery for an evening seaside shimmer, worn with fuzzy sliders. Twin cameo brooches gave an antique accent. The crowd outside got to share in the fun when the finale models took the looks onto the streets, taking a full lap outside the designers' Metropol theater. Front-row guests included actors Zane Phillips, Theo James, Lucien Laviscount and Michele Morrone.