First gig of the year, first time rocking up to the Bar Broadway. A neat little stage on an upper level, when we got there the Ro Sham Bo DJs were playing their favourite tunes, but the crowd was too cool to dance.
First and only support act Teenagers In Tokyo were a bunch of photogenic girls on guitar, bass and keyboards with a guy drummer. The sound was fresh, loose and exciting, even if the rather low stage meant seeing the actual band was rather difficult. The energy level was contagious enough to overcome such a small hurdle. I always say this, but it's the truth and can not be denied, here's another band to really watch out for in future.
Curtains close and DJs play tunes while cool kids stand still.
Curtains open and CSS kick off with the chant "CSS sux". For a while, I agreed. It wasn't really my idea to come see this band tonight, the whole hype surrounding them kinda just went over my head. There may have been a few good pop songs, but nothing fantastic. The set felt a bit dull to start off with, despite a front girl that is just a ball of high kinetic energy. And my, what's with so many professional looking cameras in the crowd? I had my doubts.
But as the band played on, they gradually won me over. It's hard to resist the charms when the front girl is working so hard, teaching dance moves and promising jelly desserts for the crowd. With only the one album under their belt, the set was short and sweet, finishing their encore with a cover of pretend we're dead by L7. And what would you know, by then, this initial doubter was exhausted, covered in sweat, and happy. Good show.