CSS have announced details of their first UK tour in 11 years as part of their 20th anniversary European ‘It’s Been A Number Of Years Tour’ for this summer. Check out dates below, along with our interview with frontwoman Lovefoxxx.
The Brazilian new rave icons haven’t toured fully since their 2013 album ‘Planta‘. Now, the ‘Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death from Above’ stars – formed of Lovefoxxx, Ana Rezende, Carolina Parra and Luiza Sá – have returned to reform CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy) to mark two decades since they first formed.
“It’s a bit of a surprise to have so many years to celebrate,” Lovefoxxx told NME earlier this week, speaking from her art studio in Sao Paulo where she now works as an artist. “A lot of people still want to see us and think that we were special to them at some point in their lives. It was special for us, for sure.”
Check out all the details below, as well as Lovefoxxx telling us about the highs and higher highs of their ’00s peak, spearheading indie sleaze, what to expect from the gigs, the chances of new material, and if there’s hope of them popping up at Glastonbury…
NME: Hello, Lovefoxxx. What do you think the secret is to CSS’ long-lasting legacy and influence?
Lovefoxxx: “It’s because we’ve always been spontaneous. Spontaneity is timeless, and that’s why we aged well.”
How did it feel seeing the recent indie sleaze phenomenon celebrating the aesthetic you helped to create?
“I love the 20 year cycles. When I was 19, I used to love the ‘80s and it felt like it was so long ago because I was born as it was happening. It’s funny when you see the cycle going after you’ve grown up – it goes faster. It doesn’t seem like 20 years ago.”
Do you feel like CSS could have only been born 20 years ago?
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“We were not so aware of all the climate emergencies, so it was a last call to have this kind of fun without knowing that the world was melting. There wasn’t so much internet, so it was a last call for the analogue world too. People were still taking photos with 35mm cameras and digital cameras. The first time someone asked me to take a selfie was in Chile in 2010; I remember that very well!”
Do you think people miss that in-the-moment physical sense of culture?
“I think the people who lived it miss it. I can’t say for the Gen Z people who only know this reality, but I can tell from my 14-year-old stepson – who’s listening to CDs and isn’t constantly on TikTok – that there’s hope!”
Do you see many modern artists today with your same spirit, energy and ethos?
“Many girl bands are influenced by us, and they’re a generation who are nicer than we were because they come and tell us that we influenced them. I can hear our energy in their music. Like Chai from Japan, they’re one of those bands. La Roux too, from back in the day. There are so many.”
How would you describe your relationship to CSS’ fans?
“When we started, we just wanted to get out of work on time and have some pre-drinks. By being so authentic to this simple idea of having fun, you end up representing so many people. People just want to get with their friends and do something creative out of the 9-5 routine. Just by attending to this basic need, we ended up representing so many people. That blows my mind. I see artists now defending topics online, and there are a lot of conversations about mental health (which is very positive), but back in day we were just like ‘WAAAH!’ That was it. It would change your life.
“I’ve always DJed here and there, and I always end up having very deep conversations. I know that CSS fans are delicate people: kind of shy and creative. I’m very proud of that. I never met a [former Brazilian president Jai] Bolsonaro voter that’s a fan of CSS! He doesn’t like women, and we don’t like him – so fuck him!”
What were some of your real highlights of the halcyon ’00s days?
“Playing with Gossip at Roadhouse in Manchester [in 2007] – my kidney is still aching from that show! Meeting our idols; like Peaches in Berlin, meeting Gossip, playing with New Young Pony Club on the 2007 NME Indie Rave Tour [also featuring Klaxons, and The Sunshine Underground]. I look at photos from the time and the people going to those shows was a baby! We were babies! We were so cute.
“Going to Iceland Airwaves, playing Istanbul and hanging out with Peter Bjorn and John in catering; it was just the best times ever. I loved meeting the whole world – we’ve played in Russia, we’ve played in Casablanca. We played Morocco and there was a tiny girl in a burka in the front row. I had food poisoning and diarrhoea the whole time but I told myself, ‘I’m going to keep it in for that girl!’
Are you guys all still in touch?
“Instagram makes things easier. I spoke to Tahita [Bulmber, singer] from New Young Pony Club recently, and I also saw Sarah [Jones, drummer] who now plays with Harry Styles when he was touring in Brazil. I’ve always been closer to girls than guys, so I keep in touch with some of them.”
What can we expect from the upcoming tour?
“This is a reunion, not a comeback. All of this started because a UK promoter wrote to us a year ago and reminded us that our 20th anniversary was coming up. ‘Don’t you want to do a celebratory tour?’ Yeah, we do! So we’re gonna play the hits. I don’t think we’re going to make new albums, so this is a chance to be nostalgic. It’s going to be very nostalgic for us too, because I remember playing those shows 15-20 years ago, but it’ll be nice to be back. I turn 40 this Sunday, so it’ll be nice to do this again with an adult presence.
“We played a show in December at Primavera Sao Paulo and I noticed I had so much energy. I had more breath, and I think that must be because I’m healthier now and don’t drink as much. It’ll be fun to see how the energy translates. Also, people in the UK are mental! I’ve never seen a mosh pit like that. People say that people in Brazil and Mexico are wild, but the UK always goes beyond. I’m excited to see that again.”
No plans for new material then? You released fourth album ‘Planta’ in 2013 before disappearing then teased some new songs in 2021. Will you be bringing them out or is this is just a party?
“It’s just a party. We were coming back in 2019 and making demos, but then the pandemic came. We have so much going on in our lives now – besides the band – with work and careers. The girls live in Los Angeles and I am the only one living in Sao Paulo, which makes it difficult. We don’t really have the time now to get back and make an album, but we do have demos.”
“I don’t want to tease or anything. But the last time we played in the UK was 2013, so I don’t think that people will want to see us 11 years later with new material, right? They want the stuff that they know, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re here to celebrate our 20 years as friends and as a band. We’re doing this one more time. It’s a reunion, not a comeback.”
The tour dates are also around the time of Glastonbury 2024. Might we see you pop up there at some point?
“I would like to, but I don’t think so. I think that boat has sailed. That would be wonderful, but for the moment we don’t think we’ll be playing Glastonbury. I just hope people come to these shows. I wonder what kind of crowd we will have. Will it be the millennials that came to our shows when we were all babies, or Gen Z? When we played in Sao Paulo there were a lot of Gen Z weirdos, which I always love to see.”
Check out CSS’ full UK and European tour dates below. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday February 26 and will be available here.
JUNE
Saturday 22 – Glasgow, UK: Drygate
Sunday 23 – Manchester, UK: New Century Hall
Monday 24 – Leeds, UK: Brudenell Social Club
Tuesday 25 – Birmingham, UK: XOYO
Thursday 27 – London, UK: O2 Kentish Town Forum
Friday 28 – Brighton, UK: CHALK
Saturday 29 – Oxford, UK: O2 Academy Oxford
Sunday 30 – Bristol, UK: Bristol Sounds
JULY
Tuesday 2 – Paris, FR: Trabendo
Thursday 4 – Barcelona, ES: Razzmattaz 2
Friday 5 – Madrid, ES: Sala Copernico
Saturday 6 – Lisbon, ES: Lisboa ao Vivo
Sunday 7 – Porto, PT: Hard Club