•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Traipsing across Asia to promote its album “Night Work,” alternative dance band Scissor Sisters will be debuting in Indonesia with a concert at Bali’s Hard Rock Cafe this Saturday.

The New York-based fivesome burst onto the music scene in the mid-2000s with their revivalist take on retro disco music and glam pop, interspersed with sex-driven imagery. Their music has been compared to legends such as David Bowie, Roxy Music, Elton John and Giorgio Moroder. Strong on the attitude front and backed with a strong image, the band quickly shot to stardom following the release of its first single, a dance-floor worthy cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”

The roots of Scissor Sisters can be traced back to 2000, when frontman Jake Shears, a former stripper at a gay nightclub, and multi-instrumentalist Scott “Babydaddy” Hoffman decided to write music together, with Shears writing all the lyrics and singing, and Hoffman handling all the instrumentation. The duo started playing shows around New York, which was at the time experiencing a resurgence of “electroclash” bands that were introducing a saucier version of dance music. The genre infused itself into the Scissor Sisters’ sound, giving the duo an edgier style.

Shears and Hoffman began to complete the Scissor Sisters lineup with the addition of singer Ana Matronic (whose real name is Ana Lynch), who at the time ran a weekly cabaret show at a club called the Slipper Room.

The three were then joined by lead guitarist Derek “Del Marquis” Gruen, a former colleague of Shears during his stripper days, and drummer Patrick “Paddy Boom” Seacor.

The band’s flamboyant image has earned it legions of fans but also attracted criticism. In an interview with British newpaper The Guardian, Seacor said that regardless of their controversial image, their music still came first.

“Our goals aren’t contrived,” he said. “We put out something that makes sense to people. But the big trouble with getting dressed up like we do is that a lot of people think we’re some kitschy throwback to the ’70s, and they ignore the music. I would hope that people would listen and realize we’re not that at all.”

The band’s cover of the Pink Floyd track was actually the B-side of its first official single, “Electrobix.” The

throwaway track became much more popular than its A-side, receiving plenty of playtime at clubs and dance stations.

The unprecedented success of the cover started a bidding war between labels eager to sign the band, which Polydor eventually won. To capitalize on the momentum, a self-titled debut album was quickly released. The inclusion of “Comfortably Numb,” along with numerous infectious singles, including “Laura,” “Take Your Mama” and “Filthy/Gorgeous,” made the album a hit.

It reached the top of the charts in Britain and Ireland. Although the band was not as successful Stateside, it found an audience in Europe, where it eventually sold more than three million copies of the album. The record received positive reviews, with publications such as NME praising the clever, sexualized lyrics, writing that the record is “celebrating what it is to be a freak in 2004 they’ve made a debut that’s unique yet uniting, deep yet designed for the dance-floor.”

The band released its second album in 2006. “Ta-Dah” cemented the band’s edgy dance style with catchy singles such as “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” and “She’s My Man.” The album also gave the band members a chance to play with some of their heroes, including Elton John, who co-wrote and played the piano on “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” and “Intermission.” Scissor Sisters also went on to open for alternative electronic act Depeche Mode during its “Touring the Angel” tour.

The band’s most recent album was 2010’s “Night Work,” which was recorded in a more difficult environment. The band threw away 18 months worth of recordings after deciding it wasn’t happy with the results and rerecorded the whole album.

The first single from the album was the instantly hummable “Fire With Fire,” followed by the equally catchy “Any Which Way.” The album continued the band’s success, reaching high positions in a variety of charts, although it only hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Independent Albums.

Scissor Sisters
Hard Rock Cafe, Bali
Saturday, Jan. 7
For more information, call 0361 755 661