CSS returned to Manchester for the first time in 11 years, as part of their It’s Been A Few Years tour, giving us a high-energy, joy-filled performance.
Formed in Sao Paulo in 2003, CSS were the perfect image of, and soundtrack to, what is now referred to as “indie sleaze” – that early 00’s NME vibe of neon, DIY, and debauchery. It was a relatively short-lived scene, but CSS outlived it, going on to have four successful albums.
Manchester’s Gorilla is a hot, sweaty, mass of anticipation as the band came out to a soundtrack of Vengaboys’ We Like To Party, before going into CSS Suxxx. Frontwoman Lovefoxxx had the crowd singing/shouting along from the moment she picked up her mic, the energy continuing to grow as they go into Music is My Hot Hot Sex.
Before playing Move, Lovefoxxx shares with us how she didn’t enjoy performing this song as much in the past, and how she found a new appreciation for the song – by imagining it being used as a campaign song for Michelle Obama, or for a senior dance class.
Halfway through their set, the band threw in a cover of Madonna‘s Hollywood. I’m going to say it, this version was better.
Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above gets the biggest reaction of the night, a 00’s anthem that hasn’t lost any of it’s original excitement since it’s release. They end their set with this, before coming back on for an encore that started with an amazing cover/mash-up of Sleater-Kinney and Jennifer Lopez, before blessing us with Art Bitch and Alala.
This night truly was a celebration of CSS’s career – while it’s unlikely they’ll tour again after this, if you ever do get a chance to experience them live, grab it.