I’m beginning to wonder if people no longer go to shows on weekday nights. It's the only way I can explain a very sparse crowd for what amounted to a great show at the Magic Stick last Thursday. Two great bands were playing, IO Echo and CSS, I’d pay to see each of them separately.
IO Echo is a new band with a single, "Where the Lilies Die" that I hear a lot on Sirius/XM. They have an updated shoegaze sound with loud, buzzing guitars set to bouncing melodies. Their stage presence went along with their fuzzy, hazy sound as fog poured on stage, the guitarist’s hair covered his face, and lead singer, Ioanna, often sang or danced with her back to the crowd. It was a stirring set that interested me enough to buy their CD, which, by the way, is excellent.
CSS has played Detroit a couple times but it’s been a few years and they have had a bit of a shakeup in their lineup. They have a new record out "Planta" and a single “Hangover”, which is oddly enough one of the worst songs off it. That also means it’s a pretty good album with some killer tracks they performed in their set. I’ve heard a lot about the sexy shows CSS put on with their playfully offensive lyrics and eye-catching outfits, so I was a little shocked when lead singer came on stage in full skirt and shawl. As the skirt was shook off a few songs later, in between the dancing on stage, the CSS set took on exactly what they portent themselves as: fun, sexy people that know how to have a good time on stage. Their set contained the great songs from each of their records with their new songs having a more polished, dance sheen to them. The show ended with CSS doing a full-on rap track and taking a deserved bow to the crowd.
This post and pics is by Mikel O.D. from MPAD Media