As a relatively new fan of the Brazilian electro-pop quintet CSS, I had few expectations for what kind of a live show they might put on. I mean, I’ve been to enough shows by now and lived in New York for long enough that well, how crazy could a bunch of art school rockers really get? Well, you can imagine my surprise by what turned out to be a riotous, naked, drunken, eccentric electro-party punk circus from outer space that bounced hard enough that the rickety wooden floors of Webster Hall felt as if they just might buckle beneath us. Webster Hall’s main stage is upstairs, so we very well could have collapsed the place last night, and no one seemed to care.
It was non-stop hedonism from the first song. Fans were rabid, chanting “CSS” and jumping in unison with camera phones held high. They kept the place pretty dark so instead of feeling like you were at some well-orchestrated show, it felt more intimate and spontaneous, almost like a giant house party. Better yet, imagine it’s your BFF’s sweet sixteen and her parents hired Cirque du Soleil to perform, but they showed up on acid wielding electric guitars instead of swings. That’s more like it.
I have to admit, as I looked around, I noticed that it was a somewhat younger crowd. Regardless, those of us mingling towards the back couldn’t believe what we were seeing and with dropped jaws, we put our drinks down every once in awhile to bang around a bit, too. Lead singer, Lovefoxxx was a dancing, head banging, and gyrating machine. Her sweet breathy early 90’s pop croon bounced atop seering electric guitars and keys. It was just the right mix of craft and fun.
About midpoint through the set things got really rowdy. Fans were jumping up on stage every few minutes, and the frustrated bouncer dragged them off by the hooks of their backpacks. I have to mention the wasted girl that kept appearing on stage every few songs. She donned a crown, a ripped mesh tube top, guzzled beer, shook her ass, fell down, and crawled off stage only to reappear a few songs later. We don’t know what she was all about, but it certainly got the debauchery churning.
As the night progressed, fans continued jumping up on stage so frequently that the band relented and began taunting and pulling fans onstage themselves. By the encore, there must have been at least 30 people onstage dancing, taking their clothes off, stage diving, and possibly performing lewd acts (this is where mesh tube top girl made her final appearance and then passed out flat on the stage); it was one big rock and roll orgy.
For a band that calls themselves Cansei de Ser Sexy (translation: “tired of being sexyâ€) they were anything but that.
“Rat Is Dead (Rage)” (download)
CSS: website | myspace | Donkey review | @ lollapalooza 2008 | @ austin city limits 2008
The piks are amazing…I liked the sound…