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Scissor Sisters - Leeds Blank Canvas Live Review

Scissor Sisters

Leeds Blank Canvas

11th April 2004

Demand for this concert led to the upgrade in venue from the Cockpit to the 1000 capacity Blank Canvas and that too sold out very quickly. Their single ‘Take Your Mama Out’ entered the chart at 17 last week giving them their third top 20 hit and last week also saw their album enter the top 40. This band is hot and they’re taking Britain by storm.

There’s no doubt that The Scissor Sisters are a crossover band, a glance at the audience who are packed under the railway arches proves that. From the achingly trendy to the fashionably scruffy to the too gorgeous to be straight, it seems no one is immune to the charm of this New York 5-piece but can their live show please everyone? Damn right it can.

Kicking off the show with ‘Take You Mama’, frontman Jake Shears bounds on stage decked in sequined bunny ears and a dungaree version of his infamous jump suit. Justin Hawkins take note, this is the man lycra was made for.

Scissor Sisters - Leeds Blank Canvas Live Review
Scissor Sisters - Leeds Blank Canvas Live Review

Fellow show-stealer ANA MATRONIC oozes the glamour and sleaze of the ‘diiiiirty’ city she just can’t wait to get back to and leads the on-stage banter that would leave the coolest of grannies blushing and any of the audience returning from a trip to the portaloos wondering if they’ve inadvertently stumbled on to a porn set.

Other band-members Babydaddy, Paddy and Del Marquis play a much more understated role but exude an effortlessly cool charm and match the note-perfect vocal talents of Jake and Ana with some fantastic playing.

Mid way through the set Ana asks ‘are you ready to dance?’ – Has she not been watching? The crowd has been jumping up and down and bopping since the word go. A girl after my own heart she takes off her boots to give it her all. Jake responds perhaps a little too enthusiastically splitting his lycra number leaving very little to the imagination of those at the front. Apparently it hasn’t been washed since the tour began which is what ‘you Brits, I believe, refer to as Minging’.

The reaction for ‘Tits on the Radio’ and the more chilled ‘Mary’ went down as well as any of the singles but the hits definitely have their place in the show. ‘Comfortably Numb’ shows the Sisters at their best and judging from the crowd reaction, it’s no surprise that the Pink Floyd cover gave the band their first top 10 hit. Finishing with ‘Laura’ the Sisters sent 1000 long-time fans and recent converts of onto the streets of Leeds to spread the word.

Join the sisterhood now, you won’t regret it.

www.scissorsisters.com

Words: Jude Stone

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