Lovefoxxx : The Interview

Where: The Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds

They’re tired, but are by no means tired of being sexy, São Paulo’s quintet CSS synth-driven melodies have sparked a flourishing career and the best is yet to come....

It is the widely anticipated club opening of the indie haven that is “The Nation of Shopkeepers” in Leeds, and they have somehow scored CSS beauty Lovefoxxx, reviving old school hits like Princess Superstar’s ‘Bad Babysitter’, and Bronski Beats’ 'Small Town Boy'. Her set was a satisfying surprise. What she lacked in pretentiousness she gained in originality, playing a set of extreme pop songs, riot girrrl pleasers and electro hits that set the club opening off to a good start. We caught up with her after her set and got down to business, probing her about possible solo careers with Kathy Griffin, thieving managers and pottery.

“Back to what I was saying,” says Lovefoxxx, “I was like what part of holiday do you not get? We are taking a holiday!!!” A recent magazine article irritated the CSS front woman by inaccurately insinuating she was ‘stepping away from band life’ and was ‘banning herself from music.’ “I’m really angry, it upset me, and we had our Japanese fans emailing us asking if our tour dates were cancelled because of it. I was like ‘No, were still touring we’re just taking a holiday’”.

It is indisputable that CSS are well overdue a ‘holiday’ after a three year stint of touring since Cansei de Ser Sexy. Hopping from Holiday Inns to Ibises, they worked to clear debts after the revelation that their band fees were being paid straight into their managers account. It hasn’t been an easy ride in the becoming of Brazil’s most successful pop group. In talking about their worldwide accomplishment we took this moment to ask about Brazil’s music scene. “I feel sorry for Brazilian bands, I’ve been listening to some really good Brazilian bands but it’s just none of them get a chance. Riot grrrl is huge in the underground scene in Brazil.” It seems as though CSS’s international success is uncharacteristic of the underground Brazilian music scene which harbours mainly American Rock bands such as Sleater-Kinney (who were also on Sub Pop Records), Le Tigre and Bikini Kill.

With two albums under their belt, CSS are using 2009 to reflect on mistakes made on sophomore record Donkey, “we wrote it just thinking about the live shows and how it would sound good live; personally Donkey is my favourite album but I think the press and fans have different ideas”. Donkey took a conspicuously different turn from Cansei de Ser Sexy, moving on from the foul-mouthed lyrics of ‘Art Bitch’, CSS streamlined their way to a somewhat tamed version of dance rock sounding their more recent obsessions with the likes of John Walters. Donkey evolved their previously chaotic sound into a sensation of new synths, dance beats and 1980s influenced dance rock. Furthermore it exhibited a more personal take on lyrics, so it doesn’t take much figuring to identify that CSS’s lyrics render bitter stories of their ex-managers betrayal, ‘I realise that you’ve been lying and no matter how hard I try/I won’t be able to forget this..’. With art tits and art holes behind them we can expect a fresh new sound from CSS in 2010, “This time we are going to be more experimental, we are having fun this year, and the more fun we have, the more fun the songs will be”.

For Lovefoxx this year is all about having fun. She has ditched her array of cat-suits (thirty to be exact) for new experiences, “I’m taking pottery classes now and I’m going to the gym. I’m actually quite bored. I have all this time and Simon is so busy”. When asked if we can expect to see Lovefoxxx in a wedding dress, with regret she explained, “No, not this year, its funny last year I was so busy, and Simon was at home. Now I’m sat at home doing nothing and Simon is so busy with the new record”. (Klaxons recently played their first show in a while at Coventry’s Kasbah). So no wedding bells or new material from CSS in 2009, but we can expect to see Lovefoxxx embarking on other projects. She has spent the last few weeks customising a Gibson guitar for a charity auction, in aid of ‘Action for Brazil’s children.’

While she isn’t decorating guitars with glitter, she has also been djing solo across the globe. Could this be the unveiling of Lovefoxxx’s solo career? Afraid not, though she has been doing a lot of solo appearances recently, Lovefoxxx rocking the cat-suits and sequins on her lonesome is out of the question, “When I’m djing I miss the guys, I feel lonely, it’s not as fun, we have so much fun on tour.” When we tempted her with a chance solo career with Kathy Griffin she charismatically answers, “Well if any of those Divas wanted to then yes!” At this she bursts out laughing and we go into a whimsical conversation consisting of every Kathy Griffin ‘Suck it’ quote we can think of.

In clearing that up, it is obvious that CSS are on holiday, and are by no means ditching the music. An album is rumoured for release in the early fall of 2010, so CSS-obsessives do not fret, their quirky DIY musical antics (and cat-suits) will be making a return quicker than you can say ‘Acho um pouco bom’.

Summer dates 2009:

16 Jul 2009 - Casa Music Festival, Place Rachidi, Casablanca
8 Aug 2009 - Summersonic, Marine Stadium, Tokyo
9 Aug 2009 - Summersonic, Maishima, Osaka

Relevant websites:

www.myspace.com/canseidesersexy

www.forceofthestreet.com/blog/?p=111

www.csshurtssuxxx.blogspot.com/

Words: Holly Lauren Vennell

ryan Vennell
Posts: 1

lovefoxx
Reply #1 on : Fri June 19, 2009, 18:04:55

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good work hols!

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