CSS rocks.
Its true when they say that you can't have Nu-Rave without old rave and although CSS don't really fit into this genre, they obviously know their history as the start of their set proved. Arriving on stage masked in capes and covers, a backing tape started and the strains of 2 Unlimited's 'No Limits' were booming around the venue. The crowd didn't need invited twice and quickly went mental and the seamless mix into 'CSS Sux', complete with t-shirts spelling this out only took things a bit further.
There was a concern over the initial fogginess of the sound but this soon lifted and settled into a cleaner mix as the band pushed on. For all that they are linked into the new dance scene, CSS have the look of a classic rock band. The musicians holding the backline were looking splendid, clad in denim with the guitarists displaying the classic wide leg spread rock pose. With a drummer carrying a moustache that had its heyday in the 1970s, the band wore it well. Lead singer Lovefoxx carried on the look, after she discarded how many layers she started with, she performed the show in a top with tassels that Ozzy Osbourne would have been proud of. Another thing to have been proud of was the way she managed to pat her tummy and rub her head at the same time, no mean feat these days.
A bit of crowd interaction led Lovefoxx to remark that people in Glasgow drink a lot, and on that score, she was perfectly correct. Taking this as an excuse to launch into 'Alcohol', its lively but holidays feel had the crowd swaying as opposed to dancing and the singalong indicated that the crowd approved. If a British band had recorded this song it would probably be written off as a novelty track ('Tequila' perhaps springs to mind but that was written by a joke band to start with) but with their foreign twang and genuine enjoyment as opposed to UK cynicism, CSS managed to pull it off to good effect.
Closing with their biggest hit, 'Lets Make Love (And Listen To Death From Above)' CSS wowed the crowd and if their set seemed short, it was as much down to the pace and popularity of the tracks that filled their show, as opposed to anything else. All reports suggest that its Lovefoxx who is spending time with other bands and making sure there is some bonding between the acts on the tour and given her all-encompassing performance and getting the crowd on board, its easy to see that CSS are a band of the people.