Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy), rocked the San Francisco Fillmore last Thursday, October 6, 2011, with new songs from their third album, La Liberacion, along with openers, electropop outfit MEN and fabulous San Francisco drag queens.
CSS is Portuguese for “got tired of being sexy,” but frontwoman Lovefoxxx showed no signs of that. She brought out the hot dance moves, prancing around the whole night in beat Doc Martens, cutoff shorts and fishnets. Her Siouxsie Sioux–esque makeup popped with her shock of pink bedhead hair as she and guitarists Luiza, Ana and Carolina turned the dirty dance floor into a glittery punk rave. In their drainpipe jeans and electric energy rifts, Luiza, Ana and Carolina handled the guitar and keyboard sounds that CSS relied on, with some cowbell sprinkled in there courtesy of Luiza.
The Fillmore looked like one of those high school homecoming dances—pink paper hearts were scattered throughout the stage and decorated the drum set. Many of the audience members had them on their chests, with their names written on them—met fans named Chowder and Kyle—which is a great way to make friends during the show. It was a brilliant move by CSS that was totally in their style.
Every now and then, Lovefoxxx would spray a mouthful of water in the air, but the front row wasn’t complaining—I got Lovefoxxx’s water on my jacket! RAD.) Rolling around on the ground and softly growling in her bejeweled fox mask, Lovefoxxx and her vocals were on top of things, especially during songs like “Art Bitch” and “Red Alert.”
CSS brought back old favorites from their 2006 self titled album that got the crowd happily singing “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” and “Music is My Hot Hot Sex” in perfect electro-punky glam fashion with a toss of reggae. It was give-and-take with the crowd and performers—both were showing some foxy love. In between doing splits and cartwheels, and stagediving, Lovefoxxx’s ass shaking in a partly sheer black tank top got the crowd doing their own thing; it was impossible not to join in.
CSS’ instantly recognizable fusion of punk, reggae, dance and pop held onto the crowd’s hearts, already won over before they walked past the doors.
