Ahhh the crazy debauched nights Loverboy has had to the music of CSS. The Brasilian art-rock ensemble burst onto the scene in 2006 with their album Cansei De Ser Sexy packed with the anthems, ‘Alala,’ ‘Music Is My Hot Hot Sex’ and ‘Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above.’
Known for their punk energy, the band fronted by Lovefoxxx, got a fierce reputation for their live shows and were embraced by the queers. Shout out to London’s #1 gay night in 2009 – Music Is My Boyfriend. In 2011 the group dropped their third album La Liberacíon with the temazo ‘City Grrrl,’ detailing Lovefoxxx’s own story of wanting her own gay life in the city.
After a hiatus the band are back together for a Reunion/Farewell tour entitled, It’s Been A Number Of Years Tour. With the US leg already completed, it’s now Europe’s turn to see the band go out with a bang with CSS playing Barcelona on 4th July and Madrid 5th July. Seee www.doctormusic.com for tickets. To celebrate Loverboy spoke with Lovefoxxx about Jinkx Monsoon, pa amb tomaquet and the downside to having a straight tour manager…
How was the US leg of the tour?
America was so good. We had thought that the crowd would all be tired millennials, not really wanting to dance but it was the opposite! There were millennials but so many younger people too. I have no idea how they found about us because we haven’t released anything since they were babies! We were surprised!
You’ve said you are definitely a fan of ‘a seated show’. How is it summoning back this rock energy?
Seated shows are so good. I don’t like long shows either. Haha…but for our shows, it’s great to have a coffee beforehand. The first show in Washington DC was a bit nerve-wracking but it felt we had never left. I didn’t expect it to feel so….easy is not the word. So natural.
How is it revisiting the songs from twenty years ago?
I am forty now. I was and still am the youngest one. So it’s amazing how much sex was in the lyrics. Haha…Now every time I sing the word ‘sex’, I want to change it to the word, ‘cat.’ Music is my hot hot cat. It makes more sense. I was always thinking about sex when I wrote the lyrics and CSS was also a way for me to have sex! So it’s a big contrast with now.
I have so many CSS favourites I cannot wait to hear live, like ‘City Grrrl!
I love that song too. I wanted to write a song for sixteen-year-old me, the age I moved to São Paolo, the ‘big city.’ At the same time I was writing for everyone when they were younger who wanted to live in a different reality, be independent and be with more open-minded people. When you come from a small community it is always the same kind of pain. People are judging you and bullying you. So it’s funny, when you write something deeply meaningful it touches other people too.
Back then you were always classified as nu-rave or indie-sleaze but I never really felt that fit. How did you feel about it?
I agree with you. I think in the recording we sound more electro. Then live, it was more instrumental because we are a band, not like the wonderful M.I.A. who at the beginning played with a backing track and sang. I don’t want to say ‘rock’ because that’s so cringey but we sound like a band. I think the nu-rave label was an aesthetic thing. I don’t think we were rave at all. Even though I like rave!
I saw you have been bringing drag queens on tour with you?!
Yes, but this is not the first time. In 2012 we had local drag queens opening for us in each town on our Falling in Love Tour in the US. When we played Seattle, Jinkx Monsoon opened for us but it was before Drag Race.
Are you ready to come play Spain?! We cannot wait for your Barcelona show!
Yes, I can’t wait either. We have always played Madrid and Barcelona on our tours. We love it there. We also played Benicassim once and there was a power shortage. Haha…Oh and of course we played Ibiza too. We actually recorded two of our videos in Barcelona, ‘Move’ and ‘Hits Me Like A Rock.’ The one for ‘Move’ was just us sightseeing, it was very silly. But I am excited about having pa amb tomaquet again! Croquetes too. The tomatoes in Spain and just so good.
I agree. For me, moving here from the UK it’s been a big culinary upgrade.
I know. I didn’t want to say it. You said it! Haha…
It’s funny because it’s true. Haha…I have such strong memories of partying hard to your music in London.
Thank you. These shows are so special. I love the UK. I remember going through immigration at the airport once and they were like, ‘Oh you’re from CSS!’ That has never happened in any other country.
And one thing we know, regardless of the country, is that the queers are going to represent! CSS have always had a big LGBT+ fan base…
The CSS crowd are the best. It’s full of delicate artistic weirdos. In my eyes and in my heart I can only see a queer crowd. That’s where we came from. All the girls are gay, I’m queer. I moved to São Paolo when I was sixteen. I was living by myself, working as an assistant to an indie fashion designer. He and his boyfriend would take me to these huge gay bars, full of the gay ‘Barbies’, all with their tops off. I was just there, aged sixteen, drinking my coca cola. This is how I learned my life. The LGBTQIA+ world is where I became myself. It makes me so proud that this is our crowd everywhere in the world. We are magnetic to each other.
Our fanbase is definitely the more nerdy indie gays. We do have an intersection with the gays that like divas though because even though we don’t have that sound or energy, we like the divas too. The humour is there.
I actually have ‘Music Is My Hot Hot Sex’ tattooed on my arm, alongside Barbra Streisand and Mariah Carey. You are in good company.
What?! I love that. That is the walk of fame I am interested in. Bless you. I will tell the girls this because we all love Mariah Carey. Once we were touring Australia and the promoters had given us a local tour manager. He was with us for one or two weeks and said, ‘Oh I hear you girls like Mariah Carey, right? She is playing in Melbourne. I can hook you up with tickets.’ We were like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’ But then we got there and that dude was so straight that he had taken us to see Celine Dion! He didn’t know the difference between Celine and Mariah! Both are Aries but I would rather see Mariah Carey.
This brings me to my final question. Loverboy is named after the biggest-selling single of 2001 and so I always ask what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
I love that this is a song you ask. There are so many good ones. If I wanted to dance it would be ‘Emotions’. I love ‘Emotions’ because it was a track that wasn’t played to saturation at parties. It’s not the Mariah Carey song you hear all the time. She also does that whistle note. That song has everything.
But I love ‘Always Be My Baby’ too. I remember hearing the song on the radio and I would stay in my room, think of being an adult and having a boyfriend. The future..but in a very delusional way!
Cansei De Ser Sexy begin their EU Tour on 22nd June.
Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona on 4th July
Sala Copernico, Madrid, 5th July.
Tickets available now via www.doctormusic.com
