Scissor Sisters at The Olympia Theatre on October 1st 2012

Review: Aisling O’Brien
Photos: Kieran Frost

Trudging back to town after work on a murky Monday is hardly anyone’s idea of fun; however add Scissor Sisters to that equation and it’s a different ball game altogether. The Olympia Theatre was the evening’s host for New York’s most fabulous. A DJ was on hand to shake any cobwebs off the already buzzing crowd. Having last seen Scissor Sisters in Lansdowne Road way back in 2005, my expectations were high.

Their distinctive logo adorned the backdrop as band members made their way on stage one by one before launching into ‘Any Which Way’. There’s no need for an elaborate stage show when you have natural entertainers like Jake Shears and Ana Matronic leading the party. Saying that, the lighting was brilliant and transformed what was quite a basic stage set up in to a spectacle.

Partners in crime, the two leads have fantastic chemistry. They depend on each other for some songs and occasionally one takes centre stage. Early on Jake really comes in to his own particularly on ‘Baby Come Home’, as well as returning to his days of being a go-go stripper and removing some clothes for the swooning crowd, the boy is ripped! Another highlight was the tragic ‘Mary’, the power of his vocal range blew me away.

Ever the show man, Jake was in his element as the audience lapped up one of their earlier tunes ‘Take Your Mama’. This leads to a mass sing-along, even bassist Del Marquis got in on the action with a flamboyant guitar solo. ‘Let’s Have A Kiki’ whips the crowd into a frenzy as they reenacted the video. Ana schooled the crowd on exactly what a “Kiki” is and used this as an opportunity to get those upstairs on their feet, just in time for ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’. The band came together in New York’s scuzzy gay scene eleven years ago. Now on their fourth album, ‘Magic Hour’, the band goes from strength to strength. They still seem humbled by their ever growing fan base, of who they are particularly close to.

Pouring praise on the “Dublin Queens”, Ana told the crowd how they’ve been everywhere and it’s good to have landed in a place that makes sense, also mentioning some of her favorite local treats, Guinness, Jameson and shepherd’s pie. The anecdotes between songs don’t feel forced and the band seem to genuinely love our capital. Unfortunately for Ana, later in the night she made a bit of a gaffe. Donned in all her emerald glory, making her thank you speech, she included us in the British Isles (an atlas may prove her right but social/historical knowledge makes it a touchy subject). It didn’t go down well, but awkward excuses about everyone being the same seemed to win over the crowd. That, and thanking the Irish for naming a pair of murderous sisters after them.

The encore saw Jake emerge in a very camp silver ensemble. Surprisingly ‘Only The Horses’ from their latest album was the highlight of the night, considering their glittering array of pop smash hits, the crowd has taken to their latest track like it’s one of the golden oldies. ‘Music Is The Victim’ wrapped up the show, with Ana’s parting words “We Are The Scissor Sisters and so are you”.

Scissor Sisters are still around today because of multiple facets, talent, style and showmanship. They are an act with no gimmicks or needing to leaning on a huge production to entertain the masses. While ‘Magic Hour’ hadn’t quite convinced me yet, I will be giving it further spins. After tonight’s show, it’s the least they deserve, can’t believe they didn’t play Filthy Gorgeous though.

Scissor Sisters Photo Gallery

Photos: Kieran Frost