“It’s a reunion, not a comeback”
CSS (“Cansei de Ser Sexy/tired of being sexy”) are a Brazilian band from São Paulo, fronted by the most energetic singer imaginable ‘Lovefoxxx’, Luísa Hanae Matsushita. They played last night to a packed out Islington Assembly Hall, which was more of a party than a gig. Their energy is unmatched.
The hilarious and continuous chat between songs was equally as creative and full of life as the songs themselves. “Hands up who has a cat” was my favourite part, because photos of cats were passionately being waved around on phones which I fully approve of. “Who can name 5 Motorhead songs without including Ace of Spades?” – the microphone was put to the audience with their attempts but nobody seemed to be able to do it. This was prompted by a story from when Lovefoxxx once wore an Ace of Spades t-shirt and could not name more songs.
These recent shows are the first time they have played live in 11 years, yet watching them was like they were at the peak of their career. A cover of Madonna’s ‘Hollywood’ was a welcomed surprise because ‘not many cover this one’, which is true. Every single song felt like highlight after highlight after highlight, with everything they played feeling like the giant hit.
‘Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above’ is their most known song, it got a huge reaction from the crowd but so did everything and deservedly so.
The band are incredibly talented musicians, Carolina, Ana, and Luiza had such a strong bond as they performed and they each looked like they were having the time of their life, the enormous smiles didn’t stop for a second.
The energy and love in the room was pure joy and happiness which continued long after the show ended, with crowds of fans singing in perfect unison in Portuguese, it was a beautiful moment to see as they stood on a beer soaked floor of squashed cups with not a care in the world, other than wanting to sing and hold that moment. I felt like I was going home after the best New Year’s Eve party in town, the sense of communal jubilation was strong.
CSS are among the greatest live performers I have ever seen, and to think this is ‘not a comeback’ is genuinely heartbreaking.
There was also fantastic support from Girl Ray, a highly intelligent indie-pop band whose lyrics demand your attention prompting you to think about identity, love, and what those things even mean.