The former NME Cover star delivers a flawless performance on her first night at her O2 Brixton Academy residency 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 dem.