number 1 angel: charli xcx at the jazz cafe

camden's jazz cafe might seem like an odd venue for pop princess charli xcx to debut her latest mix-tape, number 1 angel, but she soon made herself at home when i went to see her last thursday. after spending yet another day in the library putting the final touches to my magazine, i left uni feeling disappointed that i hadn't sent my magazine off to print, so this gig was exactly what i needed to lift my spirits. (i managed to get it sent the day after, however, meaning i'm pretty much done with uni forever (!!))

arriving to the venue just before seven, i was surprised to see how small it was. for an artist who has written for rihanna, sky ferreira and gwen stefani, i'd expected a much bigger location for her show, which sold out in just a few hours. however, there was only a small crowd gathered around the stage, which didn't even have any barriers, meaning the audience could literally get up close and personal with whoever was performing. 

the first act to take to the stage was RIVRS, an electronic duo who i've written about before, and who i was incredibly excited to see. the first few songs didn't thrill me, or the rest of the audience, but by the time they performed their latest single bad karma, the crowd were a bit more lively. i couldn't help being disappointed that they didn't play my favourite song, friend lover, but i didn't have much time to mull this over as PC music favourite hannah diamond came on shortly after. 

as much as i love the heavily produced sound of the collective, i was unsure as to how it would translate live, but she certainly lived up to my expectations. she opened her set with hi, and went on to play a mixture of old and new songs, apologising for the delay in releasing her latest EP. highlights included fade away, every night and her most recent single make believe, which i bought on itunes straight after the gig and have been playing obsessively ever since. i only wish i'd been slightly more intoxicated, as the atmosphere was better than the majority of clubs i've been to. 

once her set was over, it was an agonising wait for charli to take to the stage. i'd been looking over the shoulder of one of the photographers as he exchanged texts with someone, and one of them said charli was due to come on at 9:45, though it was just after ten when she finally came out. by this point, i was very nearly on the front row, having been pushed forward throughout hannah's set, and throughout the show i was transported back to my days in various mosh pits as a teenager; an environment i never expected to find myself in at a charli xcx gig. it's a testament to the dedication of her fans, desperate to hold her hand for a few seconds every time she came to our side of the stage, or even just to make eye contact a few times (which i definitely did). the crowd were word perfect, even for the unreleased tracks such as bounce and closing number girls night out, which sounded just like 90s-era madonna, and i need a studio version ASAP. 

i'd hoped the gig would change my mind about some of the songs on number 1 angel, and it definitely did, as i've had the whole thing on repeat since last week, and i don't understand why i didn't love these songs when i first listened to them. she played the majority of the new album, as well as vroom vroom and trophy from her last EP, which prior to this gig, i preferred over the new album. also on stage was producer AG cook, who the crowd seemed to adore as much as charli, and it's easy to see why. his signature sound gives the new tracks that sickly sweet bubblegum pop sound, mixed with charli's r'n'b influence, which the album explores through its collaborations with rappers cupcakKe and ABRA. 

i was already familiar with tracks like roll with me, blame it on you and dreamer - which i took great pleasure in rapping perfectly after weeks of practise - but found new favourites in white roses, a slow-burning ode to a new lover, babygirl and 3am (pull up), which i've had on repeat more than any other track as it perfectly sums up how i feel about our culture of late night hook-ups and people who are only interested in one thing. 

my highlight of the night however, was when i heard the opening to no angel, an unreleased track produced with SOPHIE. i've had the low quality live version on repeat for months, but it was a complete surprise to hear it played live; i actually felt myself tearing up. in fact, i was fighting back tears throughout the show as it was so good to be in a space where pop music is celebrated rather than ridiculed, with people who love it just as much as i do. i'm going to go right ahead and say it now; charli xcx is the future of pop music, and her new album - whenever it's released - will most definitely be my favourite of the year. 

PC music: pop, parody or just pure genius?

the beauty of PC music is that nobody is quite sure what it actually is, or what it represents, and if that was what its founder AG cook was aiming for, he certainly succeeded. created in 2013 by a group of london-based visual artists, musicians and more, PC music is a record label that hasn’t actually signed any artists. those on the roster include danny l harle, lipgloss twins and hannah diamond, the latter of which was recently featured in i-d magazine and has collaborated with watch brand baby g. who doesn’t remember owning, or lusting after, one of those in the late 90s/early 2000s?

a quick look at hannah diamond's video for hi, released last november, shows she is big on nostalgia, particularly for the early 2000s - everything from her bright pink bedroom to the air max trainers and diamanté encrusted nails. her music too, along with all the other artists on the label, is reminiscent of those clubland compilation CDs teenagers all over the country used to listen to, most likely before downing a litre or two of frosty jacks before a big night out down at the park. a prime example of this is the track beautiful by AG cook himself, reminiscent of dance acts such as special d and ultrabeat. a listen to any of the clubland compilations reveals many similarities, from the high pitched female vocals to the thumping bass lines. for those reasons alone, PC music could potentially back all sorts of potentially unpleasant memories for all the teens that have now (hopefully) grown out of these antics. nevertheless, there’s something incredibly new and fresh about this collective’s sound.

perhaps it's because, as sam wolfson of the guardian said, they are taking "the most critically ridiculed music from the past decade and packaging it as the future". as the cost of living continues to increase and our day to day lives become ever more stressful, this music harks back to simpler times, and no matter how embarrassing our clothes and hairstyles were, it will hold many memories for those who were a part of the scene. what PC music do though, is propel it into the future. take QT, a "made-up pop singer sent from an alternate planet to promote a fictional energy drink of the same name", according to i-d magazine. the guardian describes her as "halfway between a product and a prank", and it’s certainly hard to ascertain what exactly she, or rather her producers, is trying to get across. her track, hey QT, was produced by AG cook and SOPHIE (the stage name of samuel long), and so was her image. QT is first and foremost a product designer and is developing her own energy drink, the very one being promoted in her music video. it’s this blurring of the imaginary and reality that has me, and many others intrigued by PC music. don’t be fooled though, because SOPHIE takes his craft incredibly seriously. “my primary concern is: what’s the most sonically exciting thing i can imagine? then i try to make that,” he said.

image is everything, and the inspiration for said image comes from “kawaii” (meaning “cute” in japanese) culture. hannah diamond’s background is actually in image making and retouching, and she shot pop starlet charli XCX’s recent campaign for impulse. again, a blurring of this super polished, hyper-reality and the real world of music. “i'm more concerned with using the images as a hyper real communication companion for the music, as opposed to trying to make myself shiny for the sake of it!” says diamond of her image.   

it’s also interesting to look at what this image says about the male-dominated, macho world of dance and house music, the latter of which has seen a staggeringly large revival in the last year or two. “instead of fetishising bass, deep tans and the FHM pin-ups who adorn videos on youtube channel majestic casual, PC music pays homage to a more innocent teen-girl culture,” says lanre bakare. both diamond and label mate GFOTY (that’s girlfriend of the year to you and me) have expressed how much creative freedom they, and other female artists on the label, have, with diamond declaring, “i honestly can't think of a label where female artists have so much creative control over their representation, tbh!”

so if we are really living in a time where "anything goes", PC music should be the biggest testament to this. but opinions are still divided about the london-based collective and whether they really are the next big thing in music, or technology or fashion. a commenter on a guardian article described them as a blend of ”j-pop, 90's chart club music, hyper produced europop weirdness and carly rae jepsen” and as far as i’m concerned, this can only be a good thing, though whether the masses will agree remains to be seen.