It has been nominated as Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year, circulated on the USA’s presidential social media feeds and Spotify playlists, and became the nickname of an entire summer. Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ has just been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and now she’s taking it on a tour of arenas worldwide. A BRAT tour concert feels like a spinoff of St. Patrick’s Day—green apparel and imagery feel compulsory. The show is playful yet serious; enormous drapes covering the stage display the words ‘BRAT’ or ‘PARTY’, conveying a sense of minimalism and authority that captivates the entire arena. It’s also sweaty, dance-inducing, and fun. The high-energy performance is channeled through Charli’s unstoppable charisma and stage presence.
Alongside Charli, creative director Imogene Strauss and production design studio Cour Design have been working on her tours for the past few years, crafting and evolving a stage that aligns with her unique bratty personality and energy. Cour Design, based in Nashville, is a production design company renowned for collaborating with some of today’s most prominent performers, including Billie Eilish, Clairo, and Caroline Polachek. They are committed to delivering creative and ambitious solutions through a wide array of practices, from lighting and stage design to animations, IMAG, and more.
We spoke to Jonny Kingsbury from Cour Design to hear more about the work and the ideas behind the production of the BRAT tour.
“We're not trying to make it a glossy pop show, and we're not trying to hide the cables and the lights,” Jonny Kingsbury explains. Instead, the ‘Brat’ tour embraces a raw, grungy, and industrial aesthetic while maintaining a theatrical sophistication. Charli XCX takes centre stage, interacting seamlessly with the stripped-back elements of a massive set. The hard metallic aluminum pipes and tubes, along with the lights and the clunky metal cages beneath the stage’s catwalk, engage in a meticulously choreographed dance with her, creating a dynamic visual spectacle.
When asked about Charli XCX’s involvement in the show’s design, Jonny responds, 'Charli does have a lot of input in the design process. A lot of the big ideas are hers, and we fill in the gaps from there.' Collaborating closely with creative director Imogene Strauss, Charli has a clear vision for her performances. Billboard-like screens display real-time footage of her dancing and singing, moving swiftly across, behind, and under the stage. This innovative setup immerses the audience in something like a live music video experience, allowing them to follow her every move. The performance reaches its peak during ‘Track 10’, where an ecstatic moment of rain cascading from the stage’s ceiling encapsulates the iconic and surreal essence of the global pop star.
Jonny highlights one of his favourite moments of the show: 'We have a giant drape that's dropped, displaying the word 'Party' in large letters across the stage. We also drop an LED rope from the ceiling to the deck, which sends dynamic light signals down it.' This element underscores the show’s strong sense of minimalism, cleverly showcasing Charli as the focal point. Despite the thousands of spectators and the venue’s elaborate lighting systems, a conscious choice was made to incorporate only the LED rope, which Charli energetically tugs and interacts with throughout the entirety of the track ‘Party for You’. This minimalist approach not only highlights her magnetic stage presence but also allows her to command the space effortlessly.
Instead of using the usual gimmicks seen in big arenas, Cour Design was able to convey an innovative pop star experience for Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ tour. The stage presents a fresh and sleek look, utilising 'only white lighting for about 95% of the show.' By skillfully steering away from common arena tropes—such as smoke effects during drops or colour-theming each song—Cour Design successfully crafted a performance design that is intricately minimal and authoritative. They literally bent the stage’s infrastructure to create the perfect space for a ‘Brat’ experience.
