Charlie and the Darlings is a funky, comedic and genre-spanning local band in New York City, known for turning every room they perform in into a groovy dance party. To get a closer look at the concept behind the performance, I sat down with frontman Charlie. Over coffee, dressed in bright green pants, a Muppet Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem t-shirt and glitter dusted around his eyes, he talked about what it means to take silliness seriously.

Charlie is originally from London and moved to the United States at 18 with his family, first landing in Los Angeles before eventually coming to New York City for graduate school in 2017. With so many cities shaping his life, he described how his background has subtly shaped the way he approaches music. 

“I think I’ve leaned into the rock and roll thing more because people expect it from a British guy,” he said. “My true love is disco, but there’s this idea of what a British musician should be, so I kind of play into that.”

That mix of expectation and instinct shows up in his influences, as well. Charlie points to Prince and Rob Temperton as constant reference points, along with classic disco and 70s rhythm sections. However, not all of his inspirations come from traditional musicians. 

“I think about people like Suzy Izzard a lot, or early stand-up comedians,” he said. “There’s something about performance where comedy and music overlap in a really natural way.”

That overlap is central to how Charlie and the Darlings came together. What started as a loose project to bring his songs to life evolved into a rotating collective of musicians and comedians. Early on, upstairs in KGB Bar, after his friend Sam Blumenfeld, later a tambourine player in the band, and Emily Wilson finished their stand-up show, they realized they needed something to fill the space.

“We would play afterwards, and it was a lot looser, a lot more blue,” Charlie said. “Kind of filthy songs, honestly. And then it just grew from there.” Over time, what Charlie describes as a “favor economy” of friends and performers began. Though not everyone is always available, he prefers this setup as everyone is always happy to be there.

“It’s a lot of people, maybe ten or so who can come in and out,” he said. “It’s hard work, but it makes the show better. It adds to the energy on stage.” The energy he describes is very theatrical, constantly engaging with the audience and putting on a show. Charlie’s background in theater plays a major role in how the band operates. 

“I was a theater kid, comedy kid, doing improv and stand-up,” he said. “Then I studied theater in undergrad and eventually music became the main focus.” However, he made a point to say that performance has always been as important to him as songwriting itself.

That blend of disciplines shows up in the band’s writing process. While Charlie typically writes up and brings the core ideas for songs, he’s always ready for the band to expand upon them and make it Charlie and the Darlings’ song, not just Charlie’s. 

“Sometimes it’s a full song, sometimes it’s just an idea,” he said. “And then the band makes it better.”

One example is the track “Pony,” which evolved over years of live performance. A slower breakdown section was added by the band long after the song was first written, turning it into something more dynamic and unpredictable. 

“We had been playing it for a while, and someone just suggested changing it,” Charlie said. “That’s kind of the magic of it. It keeps evolving.”

That same sense of evolution carries into the band’s live shows, which heavily depend on audience interaction. Rather than treating the crowd as passive observers, detached from the performers, Charlie sees them as part of the experience. “The audience is smart,” he said. “You just have to pay attention to what they’re responding to and meet them there.”

In New York City, especially, that approach can become extremely essential. With crowds that fluctuate in size, energy, and interest, adaptability is key.

“You have to deliver whether there are seven people or seventy,” he said. “And sometimes the challenge is just keeping control of the room without losing the fun of it.” That balance between control and chaos extends to the band’s tone, as well. Known for lyrics that can swing all over the place, from clever to explicit, Charlie acknowledges that the more provocative material can be divisive, but he does not see it as the point.

“It gets your attention,” he said. “But it’s not about shock value for its own sake. It’s about what happens after that.”

When asked about his favorite song, Charlie didn’t point to a standout song as much as the different experiences each song creates. He described “Good Times” as more sincere, “Hot Chocolate” as especially fun to play and “Grandmother” as a slower, anthemic moment that invites the room to quiet down and really listen. While his favorite song is ever-changing, he said his favorite parts of performance are simply the unpredictability. 

“It’s when the music goes in a direction we weren’t expecting,” he said. “Watching one of my friends have a moment on stage, that’s my favorite thing.” 

That emphasis on spontaneity also shapes how he thinks about some of the band’s more vulgar songs. While they can be fun and attention-grabbing, he admits they do not always have the same staying power.

“It’s really fun the first time you hear it,” he said, “but the repeat value of a rude song is maybe less.” Over time, that realization has shaped how he thinks about the band’s music. The humor may draw people in, but it’s the balance of performance, musicality, and energy that keeps them engaged. Ultimately, Charlie says, the goal is simple: “I want people to walk away feeling warm, like they had a good time… like, ‘that band was way too good for how dumb some of the songs are.’”

As the band continues to grow, the lineup may shift, and the songs may evolve, but their purpose remains the same. Charlie sees it as something less about any one person or even the music itself, and more about the energy behind it. “It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about a spirit,” he said. “A sense of joy and celebration that we’re trying to bring out of the audience by putting it on stage first… taking silliness seriously, and giving people the license to join in.” In that way, Charlie and the Darlings is an invitation into a groovy world in which you’re not just watching the performance but becoming a part of it.