Some might have thought they had gone, disappeared but after 4 years without a release the Scissor Sisters came back with their latest album NightWork.
Tracks like “Any Which Way” and “Fire With Fire” (which was used on the FIFA 2011 soundtrack too) prove that time may have passed but they were still as capable of producing those scuzzy beat driven pop tracks they had made a name for themselves with.
Move forward a year since the release and the Scissor Sisters are out on the road again and wowing the fans with their stylish, extravagant live shows. They are coming back to Dublin to be part of Arthur’s Day and Del Marquis spoke to us in anticipation of the event.
You guys are playing Arthurs day in Dublin on the 22nd of September how does it feel to be coming back to Dublin for such a cultural event?
It feels great, we missed Ireland on our last few tours, we were touring for so long but we always seemed to miss Ireland on our tour schedule! It feels nice to be back in such a lovely country. I can’t wait to perform in front of an Irish crowd again, especially for something as fun as Arthur’s Day.
Do you think you guys will come back to Ireland to play a show by yourselves soon?
I think after we finish the next album but I don’t really know when that would be, were not too specific with the dates yet.
You guys went on tour with Lady GaGa recently, what was it like to tour with her?
It was amazing, words can’t really describe how good it was. She is just such a great artist, it was like being on tour with Madonna during her vogue period. You go out there every night and there’s just so many people there, you really have to give it your all because there’s just so much energy and excitement and you can’t disappoint. It was weird being someone’s support for seven weeks but it was a nice change, it’s great then to go back and tour with your own band as the headliner.
Do you guys have any plans for a follow up album to night work?
We are working on something at the minute but there are no dates or anything sorted yet, you will just have to wait and see!
Do you have any plans for more solo work?
Yeah I have been working on some stuff but now that I’m back working hard with the scissor sisters I’m not too sure when it’s going to be released or what I’m going to do with it. I love doing it but I just don’t know when I’m going to get the chance to do something with it.
Your solo work is quite different to the scissor sisters, was it nice to try something different for a change?
Yeah its great doing something different for a change, it feels good to broaden your horizons. I think it’s stupid when you’re on a break and you just don’t do anything different with your time. I like to try something new and keep myself busy and do something productive with my free time.
You’ve been in the band almost ten years now, did you ever think that it would last this long or that you guys would be so popular?
We never thought things would get this big, it’s been almost a decade now at this stage and that just seems crazy. When we started out we were just this small time band. We were just doing it for fun, we never thought that we could make a career out of it.
After so long together could you imagine doing any other job?
I could imagine doing something really boring. I’m just so used to things now and being in a band that doing something boring for a change would be nice. It would be nice to do something different. Doing what I do now just seems normal because I’ve been doing it for so long.
You guys are known for your style as well as your music, do you think that has helped you succeed in the industry?
Things were a lot different back then and we were views as a bit more unique to other bands, it could have ended in failure because it wasn’t that popular then. But now it seems that style has become a bit focus sometimes even more than the music. But style has always been a big focus, take little Richard for example. Looking back some of the stuff we wore or did was a bit tame but at the time it just wasn’t the done thing like it is now.
Do you think that the Scissor sisters had any influence over bands that emerged after you?
It’s hard to tell really, there are no bands that really seem to be directly influenced by us but it’s hard to tell. My main influences sound or look nothing like the band that I’m in so maybe we were an inspiration to some people, who knows!
What artists inspire you the most?
Guitar wise there are quite a few, music wise it’s pretty diverse. I first picked up a guitar when I was around 15 and I would have been into quite a few bands such as the cure, pantera and mainly rock bands, I picked up the guitar because I liked to rock out. I know that Babydaddy would be into many of the same bands that I was.
What do you think the future holds for the Scissor Sisters?
I was going to say something cheesy like another 10 years, but who knows. We’ve come this far and I just have so many great experiences, I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. We will have a new album coming out soon so the future still seems bright for us. It doesn’t seem like 10 years since we started, I think we’re just going to enjoy the ride as long as possible. If that means another ten years then so be it, I just hope I age well!
The Scissor Sisters will play The Olympia Theatre at Arthur’s Day. Tickets are scarce so you may have to go hunting to get them but it will definitely be a cracker. You can catch a plethora of acts at Arthur’s Day including The Stereophonics at Hop Store 13, Labrinth at Vicar Street, Paloma Faith at The Academy, Seasick Steve in The Savoy and much much more.