Scissor Sisters bring their 80's-infused rock to Abu Dhabi

"Surprising audiences is great, it's like pulling a magic trick," says the Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears ahead of the band's Yas Island show on Thursday.

Ana Matronic, left, and Jake Shears, seated, with Scissor Sisters. Shears says the positive response to Shady Love is like the attention the group received in the earlier 'crazy' days. Jim Cooper/ AP Show more

You know you are doing well as a band when middle-aged couples are dancing along with cool young hipsters at your gigs.

But then again, the flamboyant pop group Scissor Sisters had already been pushing musical boundaries and cross-age barriers ever since emerging out of the New York scene in 2004, with their popular and highly derisive cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.

Hailed by the press for their pop songwriting nous, mixing disparate elements from cutting-edge electro-clash and disco to the cheesiness of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the five-piece - led by the uber-excited frontman Jake Shears and his coolly seductive sidekick Ana Matronic - found themselves suddenly rubbing shoulders with the likes of Elton John and Kylie Minogue, who both lined up to collaborate and perhaps hope to catch some of the group's pop fairy-dust.

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All of that is OK with Shears, but to be playing in a place as culturally remote as Abu Dhabi tomorrow night is something he never considered.

"Then again, there were a lot of things I never imagined," he says. "The other day I found a photo on the net of a man who had all of our faces tattooed on his back. Someone asked us: 'How does it feel to have someone tattoo our faces on their back without knowing who they are?' Yes, there a lot of surprises but when we started this band we had no expectations. We keep that mindset so that way everything is crazy."

Last week, the group set Twitter alight by launching their latest single Shady Love. Those expecting another sweet pop dose such as I Don't Feel Like Dancin' are in for a shock. The single, the first of the group's fourth album to be released later this year, retains none of the melodic swagger that was seemingly their stock-in-trade. For one thing, Shears ditches his signature falsetto in favour of rapping about a girl he met, "who gon' vote for Obama and she likes to dance to Madonna", over a monstrous beat provided by Alex "Boyz Noise" Ridha and guest vocals by his fellow New York hip-hop artist Azealia Banks.

Those fans who will dump their Elton John glasses in despair prove they only had a passing interest in the group.

While Shady Love is markedly different from previous offerings, it is still undoubtedly a Scissor Sisters track, courtesy of the sheer sass displayed in the lyrics as well as the musical nods to the likes of Abba and Erasure.

Shady Love also shows the group are not finished exploring the electro-tinged territory of their underrated previous album Night Work, arguably their most dance heavy collection yet.

Shears says the overwhelmingly positive response to Shady Love by fans and the press reminds him of the attention the group received in the earlier "crazy days".

He explains the song's eclectic twist is a natural result of the group's relentless work ethic that saw them release three albums back to back.

"We never really took a break as a band over the years. We went non-stop for the past 10 years. We are lucky because we love what we do, but you can never really rest on your laurels or hope and expect that people will not stop caring," he says.

"We like to keep things organic and we are always changing. We are inspired by all these bands we meet, so the change is conscious and unconscious at the same time. We never wanted to make the same record over and over again, but to make a song like Shady Love and genuinely surprise audiences is great, it's like pulling off a magic trick." But changing perceptions of the band's success has been a harder trick to pull off. With the group first tasting success in Europe and particularly the UK, they were criticised by some sections of the American press for focusing their efforts abroad instead of home - something that still clearly rankles with Shears.

"This US thing became this weird self-fulfilling prophecy," he sighs.

"I remember the New York Times wrote this stupid piece - this little blurb of about 200 words - and its title was 'Hot Over There, Cold Over Here' and it was frustrating as we didn't have time to work in the US yet. It was really unfair. And literally ever since then, that has been a constant question and issue. But the crazy thing is the US has been our most consistent territory, with each album every time appearing at number 17 on the charts - it's very strange, but I am, of course, thankful." With Scissor Sisters recently coming off from a recent tour with Lady Gaga, Shears says 2012 will be another intense year on the road.

Heavy on colour and audience participation, Sheers says it is on stage where the group are at their most natural and visceral. On whether the band would tone down some of the racier antics of their live show, Shears remains coy.

"Well, I don't know what will come out of my mouth," he chuckles.

"But we are old-school entertainers. We are passionate, we put a lot of energy into it and every show is important to us. We are not a lazy band, that's for sure."

Ms Dynamite gives support

With the exception of the Shakira and Amr Diab performance last April, most Yas Island Show Weekends rarely feature high-profile supporting acts.

However, the inclusion of Ms Dynamite on the Scissor Sisters bill is hopefully a sign this will change.

The Brit Award-winning rapper is on the comeback trail after taking five years off to focus on motherhood and television projects.

Last year she returned to the UK top 10 on the back of her critically acclaimed guest appearance on Katy B’s Lights On and Neva Soft, her first solo single since 2005’s Fall in Love Again.

Born in north London to a Jamaican father and Scottish mother, Dynamite’s interest in hip-hop and reggae led to her involvement in the UK garage scene where she first made waves on the underground track Booo!

After a spell working with So Solid Crew she released her debut album, 2002’s A Little Deeper, which scoped the prestigious Mercury Prize.

In 2005 she released the anticipated follow-up, Judgment Days, which was heavy on social and political commentary.

While debuting at number five on the UK charts, the album failed to connect as widely and after a 2006 incident where her involvement in a London brawl led to a court sentence of 60 hours’ community work, she has dropped off the radar only to emerge recently.

Here’s hoping she will bring her trademark energy to the Flash Forum tomorrow night and drop in a few new songs as well.

Scissor Sisters plays at Flash Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi tomorrow at 9pm. Tickets start at Dh295 from www.thinkflash.ae