Scissor Sisters – Sydney Opera House
Excuse the stereotype, but gays can usually be relied on to show up fashionably late to parties – which may explain why the Scissor Sisters took to the stage for their sell-out Sydney Opera House concert an hour late, ensuring their well-lubricated, mostly queer audience were all in attendance and ready to party.
It was something of an odd choice of venue for the Sisters, who’ve played in everything from sweaty bars to sold-out arenas on their previous Australian visits, but any fears about the staid venue stifling the party atmosphere were blown away from the opening song, as Jake Shears and Ana Matronic prowled the stage to Night Work highlight Any Which Way.
Current album Magic Hour might not be the band’s strongest – its dizzying highs are swamped by a bit too much filler – but they wisely cherry-picked the strongest tracks to perform live. Bonkers electro-funk number Keep Your Shoes On highlighted Jake’s ageless falsetto, while ‘80s soul ballad Inevitable really took flight in a live setting.
But there was one song most Scissor Sisters fans, both old and new, were hanging out for: Let’s Have A Kiki. It went off, of course, but then so did so many other highlights from the band’s back catalogue: the sky-high rave-up Invisible Light, their first-ever single Comfortably Numb and their breakaway hit I Don’t Feel Like Dancing (despite the growing feeling that the group play it rather begrudgingly nowadays).
And, as always, Ana Matronic positively stole the show. While she may not have Jake’s vocal chops, there’s just something about the gorgeously angular redhead that can enliven any crowd.
