In an ideal world, the name and fame of a band grows and grows, the sales rise and the venues get bigger and bigger, until they go out on a high with some monumental show that is celebrated forever. This, of course, rarely happens. If Oasis had bowed out after Knebworth then more people might remember them fondly. There’s something quite sad about the announcement of a new Futureheads tour, as the venues get progressively smaller and the ambition must start to wane somewhere. Many bands outstay their welcome, or implode the moment fame starts to be an option.
There was a point there where it seemed CSS might become huge, but they were just that little bit too art-pop to truly take on the mainstream. Over the course of last year they rose from NME tour support to selling out the same middle-sized venues as headliners. Word of mouth and summer festival performances won them attention and new fans, and they looked to have so much promise.
Yet it seems that indie-pop careers are taking the same turn as that of the manufactured band – there is a short attention span and a limited shelf-life. Many bands can only hope for one hit album in their lives, and if that’s their first one, then they might find the rest of their careers quite unfulfilling. CSS’s second album ‘Donkey’ is great, but without the immediate charm of their first. They’ve dropped down a venue size, and it would suggest that things will continue to dwindle. It’s surely how it would feel to see The Rakes when they come back with their third album. People just lose interest quickly.
Which means that those who have drifted away are missing out on a treat, for with two albums worth of tunes now, CSS have a pretty special show on their hands. Over the course of two albums they have a string of songs to send a crowd wild. ‘Jager Yoga’ is potentially the best thing they have ever done, which is how they start tonight’s show. The sheer force of the drum beat that dominates the song is enough to win a crowd over. Followed by the always amusing ‘Meeting Paris Hilton,’ it marks the beginning of a well-paced and relentless energetic gig that commands you to dance in a way that only CSS can.
|
If there are any doubts about the smaller venue, it’s not on display from CSS. Lovefoxxx is as lively, grateful and fucking up for it as she always is. She seems to love Manchester and throws herself about on-stage, performing costume amendments in front of the crowd, throwing plenty of confetti about and generally being a great front-woman. She seems to be having the time of her life and that’s great to share in. From the new album, ‘Rat Is Dead’ and ‘Air Painter’ leap out as live greats. New single ‘Move’ is also well received, and all songs get the crowd involved. It’s not just a case of waiting for the hits.
But they have those as well, so on top of a fun and charismatic show, there are the highlights of the songs that everyone knows – which seems to be most of the first album. ‘Off the Hook’ and ‘Alcohol’ cause outbreaks of move-busting both onstage and off. The whole band put on a show; it’s meant to be a party, people are meant to be having a good time. That’s exactly what it is, and who CSS are – light-hearted, a little bit cheesy but not remotely shite.
It’s all over very quickly, and the encore seems quite premature. Plenty of decent songs are left out, but ‘Let’s Make Love…’ sounds better than ever, and of course gets the biggest reaction of the night. Finishing off with giant party poppers and ‘Alala’ leaves everyone genuinely wanting more. For the casual observer who drifted off the moment they stopped being now, it’s their loss.
If anything, this band are going from strength to strength, with or without you.
|
