Live Review

CSS – Academy, Manchester

• 10th Dec 2007

Metronomy start this night off. To be honest, they aren’t very good. Every song sounds similar to the one before it, and none of the tracks seem to have much depth. Due to the fact that nobody in the band seems to be willing to take on the role of frontman, nobody has any stage presence, and the audience don’t really have anybody to focus on, the songs seem to have some interesting parts, but nothing really special. Then it clicks. Metronomy are another band trying to do what somebody else has already done. They are trying to fit into a formula but they don’t quite manage it – because there is just simply no spark.

Justice, however, are absolutely unbelievable, and after seeing CSS I do get the feeling Justice should have been headlining. Glowsticks fly through the air as they come on to the stage and settle in behind a cloth covered booth. The cloth drops and a large cross is illuminated. That comes to a bit of a shock to me, but everyone else seemed to know it was going to happen! The back of their “booth” (for want of a better word) lights up with what seems like a thousand flashing lights.

The duo throw themselves into their music from the start, and song after song is catchy and enjoyable – I’m stood right at the front next to the speakers and the bass is almost making me vibrate! Track after track did actually make me want to dance, which is always a surprise (to both me and those around me).

It is actually more entertaining watching Justice than it was watching Metronomy – they’re bobbing up and down with each other in perfect time to the music and when one of them does look up he’s got a great big grin on his face and is clearly enjoying himself.
By the end of the set you can see that the crowd don’t quite know what’s going on – they are a rock crowd, not a dance crowd, but when Justice play “We Are Your Friends” everyone absolutely loves it. This band have managed to cross boundaries in an incredibly successful way.

CSS try and follow this up with Christmas elves, loads of tinsel and a large disco ball. Their set is tired, worn out and not very exciting. A couple of their more popular tracks go down very well with the crowd, but you do get the feeling that they should have chosen a support who weren’t quite as good – because to be honest it just made them look a bit rubbish.

CSS are trying to live off being “quirky” and “interesting” but their music doesn’t follow through and they just come across as dull and formulaic. I was very disappointed in them, but I really do think this may have been because Justice were so absolutely bloody brilliant.

Picture stolen from Pigmotel.com [link]