The 365 party girl herself, Charli xcx must have made a beeline straight for the airport, the airport after she pulled up and cleaned up at the Grammys. Because now she’s Down Under with Laneway Festival, and after kicking off in Auckland on February 7, she’s gonna be turning up the club classics across five Aussie capital cities – Brisbane (Feb 8), Sydney (Feb 9), Melbourne (Feb 14), Adelaide (Feb 15) and Perth (Feb 16).
After watching the chaotic fun of brat summer from afar, it’s finally your turn to party with Charli. But does trying to figure out the meaning of brat summer just make you go “girl, so confusing!?” It’s ok babe, we’re here to help with our ultimate guide to channelling brat energy at Laneway. (Plus, we reckon we have a good idea of what Charli will be getting up to in ‘Straya.)
The do’s and don'ts of brat behaviour, Laneway edition
Wear a strappy white singlet, no bra, and speed dealer sunnies
As a style, brat is the antithesis of the clean girl aesthetic. Be gone, polished Barbie girls, it's time to go feral! When speaking on the brat look, Charli herself has described it as: “Just, like, a pack of cigs, and, like, a Bic lighter, and, like, a strappy white top. With no bra. That's, like, kind of all you need.” (Anything leather is also very brat, but a biker jacket probably isn’t an advisable choice in the Aussie summer heat.)
Embrace messy hair, smudged eyeliner and Y2K lipgloss
Brat is not about keeping it prim and proper, so don’t hold back. Mosh your little heart out and let your hair down – because the sweatier you get, the brattier you are.
Party just as hard for emerging artists and local DJs as the headliners
To be authentically brat, don’t just show up for the headliners, get in there early and shake your ass for all the other acts. You’ll find your next favourite new band on the Laneway stage!
Be a girls’ girl
Just because you’re a brat, it doesn’t mean you’re a dickhead. A brat looks out for the people around them, they don’t barge through crowds and push past people. A brat understands that there’s a lot of scary stuff going on in the world right now, and that sometimes we all just need a lovely day out letting loose and being a bit feral, so she’s not gonna make anyone’s day any harder than it has to be. And if all else fails, they work it out on the remix, just like Charli and Lorde.
Take care of your mates, but don’t make your mates take care of you
Cool girls are able to lean on their friends, but they don’t make everyone cut the day short because someone went overboard and vomited in the gutter again. Pace yourself – brat behaviour is a marathon, not a sprint. A true brat will probably start on Prosecco and move on to vodka sodas, but she’ll also stay hydrated! And sun safe! (Hot tip: Laneway Festival provides free water refill stations and free sunscreen stations around the venues.)
Be a responsible twink handler
Charli’s friendship with our Troye Sivan is one of the most beautiful examples of the “twink and his pretty girlfriend" relationship that you’ll see in the wild. (Side note: when are we gonna see the Sweat tour Down Under!?) So out of respect, the girls and gays simply must hype each other up for the whole festival!
Always go to the after party
You just know that when Charli parties, there’s nothing stopping her from hitting up the afters. While tickets for Laneway Fest are all sold out, you can still try your luck getting tickets for the official afterparties in Brisbane at The Brightside (tix), in Sydney at the Oxford Art Factory (tix), and at Melbourne’s The Night Cat (tix).
Kick on at the brattiest venues in Australia
No afterparty ticket? No problem. We reckon the brat girlies will deffo be found getting down and dirty at Sydney’s best nightclubs with the best sound systems like Club 77 and Carousel, before dancing into the daylight at Morning Glory. As for Melbourne nightlife, Charli would be all about bumpin’ it all night at Revolver and snacking at Glamorama. We can also totally see Charli and Troye having a fabulous time chatting shit in the smoko at Kween Kong’s fave, Marys Poppin in Adelaide. Where else do you think Charli should hit up while she’s back in Australia?