When Chappell Roan graced NME’s Cover last February, no one foresaw how, in the space of a few months, the star would ascend to meteoric levels of success. Thanks to ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, a lament over a lover who can’t accept her sexuality, crowds began to flock to see her at US festivals, with over 100,000 people going to Roan’s Lollapalooza set – one of the most-attended performances in the festival’s history.
Tonight (September 19), she is performing at the 5,000-capacity O2 Academy Brixton – the first of three nights here. It’s laughably small for the superstar. But the knowledge that Roan could reasonably sell out Wembley at this point makes tonight even more of a special privilege to see her in such an intimate space. From the moment she struts in, it’s undeniable that Chappell Roan is the ultimate pop star.
Roan’s love for drag artistry is on full display tonight, with her signature clown-white makeup and sparkly red bodysuit inspired by her song ‘My Kink Is Karma’. While her aesthetic is a visibly obvious homage to drag culture, she also pays tribute in subtler ways, like the way she dances. As she moves through the pre-chorus of opening song ‘Femininomenon’, Roan strikes power poses to every line, hair blowing in the wind as she serves banquet levels of face: just like a drag artist delivers a performance.
As soon as she demands to “play a song with a fucking beat”, the energy explodes. Balconies shake and Brixton’s poor rubber flooring takes a beating as the crowd comes alive. The first half shows no signs of letting up; Roan hits us with banger after banger, from the euphoric empowerment of ‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’ to instant crowd-pleaser of ‘HOT TO GO!’.
Slowing down in the middle section, she whips out ‘Kaleidoscope’, the first time she’s performed it on the European leg of her ‘Midwest Princess’ tour, and for the first time tonight, you can hear a pin drop. This is her second superpower: her incredible voice. As the spotlight falls on Roan and her keyboard, her breathy sighs and vocal flips communicate every heartbreak she’s experienced to a totally silent crowd. We all know she’s capable of belting to the high heavens, but ‘Kaleidoscope’ is a reminder that sometimes, you don’t need to scream in order to be heard.
During the night, Roan gives a heartfelt speech to the queer community: “I really needed this when I was 15”, she says, further reminding the crowd that “you are meant to be here and you are cherished”. The US and UK have their own individual contexts of rising anti-LGBT+ discrimination; over 40 per cent of transgender adults in the US have attempted suicide as of 2023, while hate crimes against transgender people in the UK and Wales hit a record high last year.
Roan has always been open about the complications of growing up queer in Missouri, so it’s especially touching that she makes her concert a space for queer kids to celebrate themselves. She tears up ‘Red Wine Supernova’, her cheeky sapphic ode to flirting with women (“I heard you like magic; I’ve got a wand and a rabbit!”) and, of course, performs the hell out of ‘Good Luck, Babe!’. It’s even more fitting, then, that she ends tonight on ‘Pink Pony Club’ – a song documenting her first experience dancing in a gay bar.
It’s especially impressive that Roan fosters such a welcoming, positive energy given the wave of hatred that’s risen against her in recent weeks. Every time she speaks out against “fans” who harass and stalk her, she’s met with a flurry of comments accusing her of complaining too much. Creepy and abusive behaviour from fans should never be a job requirement – what stars like Roan are required to do is put on a damn good show, and tonight proves she can absolutely deliver on that promise.
In the spirit of drag mother Sasha Colby, Chappell Roan often says she’s your favourite artist’s favourite artist – but her performance tonight officially cements her as an artist who should be everyone’s favourite artist.
Chappell Roan played:
‘Femininomenon’
‘Naked In Manhattan’
‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’
‘Love Me Anyway’
‘Picture You’
‘HOT TO GO!’
‘After Midnight’
‘Coffee’
‘Kaleidoscope’
‘Casual’
‘Subway’
‘Red Wine Supernova’
‘Good Luck, Babe!’
‘My Kink Is Karma’
‘California’
‘Pink Pony Club’