CSS
Stereo, Glasgow
31/08/2011

What happened to CSS? Their first album arrived around five years ago to deafening fanfare then they buckled like the front wheel of a vintage racer. Around the same time everyone was picking up a microkorg and blending their choppy guitar music with dance and even trance hooks, CSS were apparently one of the leading lights, mixing their own scrappy three-chord jams with artsy dance beats and all-too-cool (and often all-too-silly) lyrics. Above all it was a lot of a fun, despite what you might’ve guessed from the way folks held them high like gods. It was all about just getting wrecked and going off, dancing yourself into a sexy stupor.Following their dissapointing second album ‘Donkey’, it seemed that CSS’ once brightly flickering flame was dulling. It’s a surprise then that off the back of their third record ‘La Liberacion’ they pack out Stereo, like really cram the fucker, to the point that it’s nearly impossible to breathe in anything other than body heat. It’s impressive, if a little uncomfortable and despite running a good half hour behind, the Sao Paolo party-horse more than make up for it when they finally hit the stage.

With a new rhythm section in tow, it’s down to Lovefoxxx to carry the show on her back, which she does with a huge grin on her face. Say what you want about the lyrics or her stage patter, she’s a natural performer, spinning, dancing, headbanging, crowd-surfing, pouring cider on herself, even donning a cape and tinfoil batman mask. She dances from start to finish and doesn’t rest until everyone is going at least half as hard as she is. She works the crowd through ‘classics’ like ‘Alala’ and ‘Let’s Make Love and Listen To Death From Above’, while new songs like ‘Fuck Everything’ and ‘Hits Me Like a Rock’ hold their own too.

On record much of the new material is pretty dumb and flat, but live it’s custom-built for a party, and that’s exactly what Lovefoxxx delivers on its behalf tonight, even if the rest of the band are consistently falling behind. Think of it what you will, but it’s entertaining, no doubt about that. Above everything else, it’s great to see a band that were once put through the thresher of popular music are not only up their old tricks, but are back in good spirits.

Ryan Drever