I’ve waited 18 years for this. CSS was a big part of my 20’s. I was heavy into the electroclash universe, and made it through plenty of drunken dance parties, sweating the booze out to “Let’s Make Love (And Listen To Death From Above.” But I never ended up seeing them. It simply never worked out, and as their visits to the States became fewer and further between, I just chalked it up to the “I can’t see everybody.”
Well, then Just Like Heaven released their 2024 lineup. I already knew Gossip was back, but I was surprised to see CSS hidden on one of the lower lines. (SACRILEGE!) Not long after this announcement a small number of tour dates appeared, and I decided it was finally time to make this one happen.
Warming up the crowd was LA’s Agender. This is one of those bands that simply hit on the nose EXACTLY everything that I usually want to hear. They pooled elements of disco, hardcore, pop-punk, and stoner metal into a joyful cacophony that flooded my brain with some much-needed serotonin. This was excellent.
CSS took the stage to the bouncing beats of the Vengaboy’s classic, “We Like To Party.” They seemed to burst onto the stage in a fit color and energy, powering through “CSS Suxxx” in all its pop-punk glory. Lead singer Lovefoxxx would fling her Rapunzel-esque hair with such intensity that I was nervous band members would get hurt. The energy was infectious, and this certainly didn’t feel like we were watching a band that hadn’t performed together regularly in almost a decade.
With no new material to pull from, the setlist itself did largely feel like a career retrospective, with Lovefoxxx telling stories about the early days of the band, and hitting songs from every portion of their career. She spoke of auditioning for CSS while wearing a Motörhead shirt, despite only knowing “Ace Of Spades” and being a tad embarrassed, only to find that the band was more Madonna than Motörhead anyway. They even covered a few songs that they used to play in their early days- an epic rendition of Madonna’s “Hollywood,” and a live mashup of Sleater-Kinney’s “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” and Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny From The Block,” which was far more fun than you could ever imagine it being.
The joy of this set and the happiness emanating from the stage made it hard for me to believe that this tour was a one-off. They sounded as tight as ever, and everyone on stage seemed to be having the time of their lives. The audience gave right back, with a mix of newer, younger fans who never got to see the band in their heyday alongside folks who never missed a show, dancing up a storm, and giving right back to the band. The electroclash hits felt like an old friend that we lost contact with and then found each other again after years, but it felt like no time had passed. Two key moments where this happened with me were “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” and “Alala.” I forgot how much I moved to those songs in the past, but it was just like riding a bicycle.
I genuinely hope we get to spend time with CSS again. This show was everything that makes going to shows great: the songs, the crowd, the band. It was such a joy.
