More road trips! CSS, MS MR, Io Echo at Lola's room in Portland

Io Echo and MS MR have spent the last several weeks on tour supporting CSS, so I was disappointed to discover that MS MR would not be performing in Seattle at the Showbox at the Market. The band's last stop on the tour would be the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. I had my heart set on seeing the full line up for months so I bought tickets and made the drive- and it was totally worth it.

The show was in fact at Lola's Room which is the upstairs bar of the Crystal Ballroom. Low ceilings and a tiny stage at first appeared they would not be able to contain the expected sound and energy.  A slow, low drone and hazy purple lights announced the band and Io Echo began to make their way onto the stage one by one. The Los Angeles based band released its debut LP Ministry of Love last month on IAMSOUND Records. The set began as the album does with "Shanghai Girls". Ioanna Gika came out swaying in a smiley face sweatshirt and Leopold Ross from head to toe in black with geometric talismans were a visual representation of the band's complimentary and contradictory sounds. Ross' distorted and often heavy guitar coupled with Gika's vocals, light as air and mingling with the fog, Io Echo moved fluidly from favorites off the album, like "Outsiders", "Tiananmen Square" and "Ecstasy Ghost". Gika and Ross put on a moody and engaging show, jumping up and down to the music or singing from their knees on "Addicted".

MS MR's stage presence was unparalleled and somewhat unexpected based on its mysterious online presence. The pair seemed genuinely ecstatic to be performing, and from the audience reaction it appeared I was not the only one that made it a point to catch them before they take off to expectant crowds and sold out shows all over Europe.  Lizzy Plapinger's vocals were even more impressive in person and set the tone for MS MR's strong and sensual songs. The New York band, also on IAMSOUND Records, formed in 2010 and both the EP Candy Bar Creep Show and debut LP Secondhand Rapture were well received in Europe and Australia. Last night's show included crowd pleasers like "Hurricane", "Bones", and the oddly rocksteady reminiscent "Salty Sweet".

By the time Brazilian femme rockers CSS began the set I thought my initial prediction would come true- the lanterns would fall from the shaking ceiling and the floor would in fact drop out from beneath the crowd's dancing feet. Instead we all bounced happily to CSS' latin rock rhythm and percussive lyrics. Though it was the most straight forward rock set of the night, the pop overtones were heavy and Reggaeton influences were undeniably present. CSS (which is an abbreviation for a Portuguese phrase meaning "tired of being sexy") began playing music together in 2003 and became the fist South American band signed to Sub Pop in 2006. As touring veterans and headliners, CSS did not disappoint,  though with openers like Io Echo and MS MR it would have been hard for them not to knock it out of the park. I'd probably drive three hours in any direction for a line up like that.

xoxo-
juliet