So there it was, merry Christmas and everybody was having fun…and with the arrival of dancing parcels and leggy Christmas trees onto the stage at the Corn Exchange it was clear that CSS were taking their duties seriously. Transforming the stage into Santa’s grotto complete with tinsel microphone stands, a Christmas tree and silver balloons the band arrived on stage gift wrapped and ready to party.

Led by Luisa Hanae Matsushita otherwise known as Lovefoxxx and her six strong Brazilian crew, CSS stormed the cool consciousnesses in 2007 with their inimitable take on perceptive pop funk and pop culture obsession. Cansei de Ser Sexy (which translates as ‘tired of being sexy’) is their debut album on the Subpop label. The six piece also features five women which is both refreshing and sadly unusual. They have been a ubiquitous presence on the festival circuit this past year and their anarchic live shows have become legendary.

And so, when they arrive on stage, unwrap themselves, and hurtle straight into the first song it is all the more frustrating that we can hardly hear the vocals. This is remedied relatively quickly but serves as a slightly muted opening for a band of such apparent energy and pizzazz. However, it is not long before we start to experience CSS in all their cheeky, irreverent and glittering glory. A fine performance of Off the Hook gets the crowd jumping and the dark and moody Alala shows off their effortless range for punky power pop.  However, it is the faux innocence of Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above that truly stands out. Other highlights include Music is My Hot Hot Sex and Art Bitch which sees them mock the pretentious posturing of celebrity artists.

And this is the strange thing, with all this knowing and intelligence and an album of infectious and up tempo numbers there seems tonight to be a slight feeling of static between each song. Although each number sees the band throwing themselves headlong into the performance at times it feels slightly unconvincing. Ironically, the best song of the night (for me) was a cover version of Pretend That We’re Dead by 1990’s female grungers L7.

However, in the age of Paris Hilton and Heat magazine CSS cast a seemingly cavalier but wholly incisive eye on our obsession with all things celebrity. Maybe they were just a bit tired tonight? After all, it can be so exhausting being in the public eye…

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