OUTscene: RYAN's Review: “Sisters” make Seattlites do some ‘Night Work’!

By Ryan Burr
OUTscene Staff

Music and love were the sole focus of Scissor Sisters’ exuberant return to stage in Seattle this week. No political statements, just a reflection and regret that “we’ve been away for so long.” Jake ‘n crew promised never to let it happen again.


A mighty throng of gays (sold-out) were on hand at The Showbox Sodo to see lycra-laden, bear-chested Jake Shears, as well as vocalist Ana Matronic, Babydaddy, Del Marquis (yummy, gay lead guitarist), and drummer Randy Real jam away. The band, whose music fits the genres of glam rock, pop, disco, alternative and electro clash, pulled heavily from their new album Night Work.

We also heard “Any Which Way”, very Lipps Inc, Funkytown-esque, and of course the first single from the album Fire with Fire. Jake introduced a “Whole New Way” as a song about (GASP) sodomy… now you know that got the crowd salivating, especially with lyrics like “I found a whole new way to love you… my sneak up from behind is gonna blow your mind.”

Since this show had so many adoring fans, they of course had to bust out “Filthy/Gorgeous.” Ana Matronic showed her prowess as well as her claws as lead vocal on ‘Skin This Cat.’ The performances could be described as a crazy mashup with the energy of Gwen Stefani and the sophisticated gayness of Queen.

During the encore, the Scissor Sisters unleashed the lasers for the magical “Invisible Light.”

Opening act was Casey Spooner, who relayed how challenging it was going to be to put together his routine in time to join the Sisters on the road. He initially thought it just couldn’t be done; then it dawned on him that he should just make it happen, rather than pass up the opportunity.

The audience was receptive to his tunes (slower-moving than Scissor Sisters), but he quipped, “Thank you for supporting me, even if you don’t know any of these songs.”

He became a little more universal, however, with his professed “love for dick,” which is stressed in one of his numbers.

It is a sensational time to be in Scissor Sisters. Shears and Sisters tour keyboardist John "JJ" Garden are writing a musical stage adaptation of “Tales of the City”-- a series of seven novels written by author Armistead Maupin--that will premiere at the American Conservatory Theater in 2011.

The Sisters formed in 2001, "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York,” as one critic put it. They derived their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism. It wasn’t until 2004, though, that the group rose to public attention with the release of their self-titled debut album.

Visit the Scissor Sisters official site at http://www.scissorsisters.com/ and Casey Spooner at 
http://www.caseyspooner.com/