Live Review: Scissor Sisters – 23rd May 2025 – O2 Arena, London, UK

It seems like we have been attending quite a few celebratory tours recently, having just seen the return of Hurts over in Brixton Academy on Thursday night where they performed their Happiness debut record for its 15^th Anniversary. It’s shows like these that pay tribute to the success or milestone of a record that we love the most. Hearing records played in their entirety – albums that have helped shape our own love of pop music, so we were especially excited to head over to the O2 Arena last night to see one of our favourite bands celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of one of our very favourite studio albums.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 21 years since the release of Scissor Sisters debut album. The record – parent of the mammoth singles Laura, Take Your Mama, Comfortably Numb and Filthy/Gorgeous – is the blueprint of what is so special and unique about queer pop. It is a record that promoted inclusivity, sexual liberation, freedom and fun and a record that set the wheels in motion for what would be the journey of one of the most successful and influential acts in music over the last 3 decades.

While the bands success has never seemed to fully crossed over to the harsh and confused American pop market (despite hailing from New York), the UK adopted the flamboyant collective in 2004 and took them in as one of our own as the band explained last night during their stellar return to the capital after a decade long absence.

We arrived at the venue at around 7.30pm and seats were filling up quickly, thanks in large part to the bands support act. Alison Goldfrapp kicked the night off as the invited superstar guest of the band’s comeback tour. “This is nice”, she told a collection fans who were crowding the front rows of the floor seated area, dancing along to pop-infused numbers like I’m a Believer and Dreaming very early in the set and who encouraged others to do the same.  With a bouncy blonde perm, a figure-hugging black outfit and neon yellow gloves, the singer delivered a meaty and synth-grinding set of songs from her Goldfrapp back catalogue – the likes of Oh La La La La, Ride A White Horse, Rocket and Number One being offered up to the crowd – along with more recent solo hits.  A little more poppy than her Strict Machine style within Goldfrapp, solo songs like Reverberotic and latest earworm hit, Find Xanadu sat nicely alongside the more familiar hits that made up the singers set, which had the packed venue up on their feet and cheering to the singer in a way the musician is used to at her own headline shows.

At a little before 9pm a man in a gorilla suit appeared on stage, preparing the crowd for the pop circus that was about to begin. With a  few cheeky moves to the audience, the giant curtain that covered our view dropped to the floor to display a prop – that served as a screen visualiser for the night – of the bands famous logo, positioned in the heart of the stage with various props dotted around the stage including a run down army vehicle for band members to make use of throughout the night.

Tearing straight into the set with Laura, we were instantly transported right back to 2004 when the band broke into the world of pop and were, from this point, dished up hit after hit from the now-threesome’s incredible back catalogue with every single track from their first record showing face at some point or another during the night. Take Your Mama was a particularly welcomed hit, and the band could even be forgiven for the unfortunate stage collab by Self Esteem who, while vocally talented when doing her own thing, didn’t seem to know many of the lyrics as she was seen fumbling on the giant overhead screens. This was made up for by the Sister’s fully charged performance of the iconic hit and front man Jake Shears impeccable vocals.

Better Luck was a favourite early on in the night with its infectious chorus and hook heavy verses while the remaining trio of Shears, bassist Babydaddy and guitarist, Del Maquis took a moment atop the beaten down army jeep to deliver an exception, pitch-perfect rendition of Mary, with Shears paying tribute to a fiend that the song was written about and who used to wait outside New York bars so that she could see that Shears was safe after a shift.

Lasers shot all around the giant O2 space for an incredible performance of Comfortably Numb which helped make way for a guest spot by Lord of the Rings star and acting icon, Sir Ian McKellan as she made a guest appearance on the elect-pop drenched, Invisible Light. As he stood to the left of the stage under a bright spotlight and delivered his famous monologue from the original recording of the Night Work album closer, the venue lit up from the glowing of phones from fans who were recording one of the many highlights of the show.

Outside of the band’s debut, we were dished up with a plethora of other Scissor Sisters career notables that had the whole venue up on their feet and screaming back in adoration to their LGBT/pop heroes on stage. Fire With Fire was a punchy addition to help promote the bands final 2012 Magic Hour release while I Can’t Decide offered us a glimpse into the catchiness of the bands Ta-Dah sophomore.

As the night drew to a close the band delivered a stadium worthy performance of signature pop juggernaut, I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ which had every person in the venue on their feet and doing the exact opposite and getting quite possibly the loudest response to a song that we have ever been present for in any show we have attended – to the point where we actually had to hold our hand over our ears. And encore performance of glam pop classic, Filthy/Gorgeous was equally well received as the band bounced around the stage; Shears delivering his flawless, unweathered falsetto which has only seemed to get better in time. He has never sounded better.

The trio are this time joined by two incredible female vocalists Bridget Barkan and Amber Martin who inject the show with additional campness, confidence and swagger as they dance around the stage in G-strings, towering platform boots and tear the house down during performances of numbers like She’s My Man and Lovers in the Backseat. However, let’s not avoid the blatant elephant in the room here. While both Barkan and Martin were exceptional additions to the night, there is simply no way of replacing someone like former bandmate, Ana Matronic. While the absence of original drummer Paddy boom was uneventful following his departure in 2002, that lack of impact was never going to be the same with someone like Ana. I mean, its ANA MATRONIC – the queen host and equally important feature of everything we know and love about Scissor Sisters. Alongside Shears, Ana provided the confident, glam swagger that has made Scissor Sisters the much loved outfit they have become over the last 25 years and so her absence was very much felt last night – especially during her previously led leads on debut album fan favourite, Tits On The Radio and camp queer classic, Let’s Have A Kiki and while the new additions to the touring band did a great job, and while the show was mind-blowing to attend, it just wasn’t the same without Ana.

The energy of the show from start to end was electric. From the catchy set list the band have put together through to the stage performance from each member – especially from the outfits outgoing ‘eternal twink’, as touring vocalist/host Amber Martin put it at one point in the night – Jake Shears. There were plenty of costume changes and eye-grabbing props to keep the eyes of every fan in the crowd constantly roaming around the stage to see what was going on without ever feeling chaotic.

Despite Ms Matronic not being present on this tour, last nights O2 performance was one of the most fan, one of the most vibrant, one of the most love-fueled, hit filled and electrically charged shows we have seen from the band over the course of their incredible career and we hope this wont be a passing stint back in the spotlight as the mighty Scissor Sisters.

Setlist:
Laura
Better Luck
She’s My Man
Tits on the Radio
I Can’t Decide
Interlude
Lovers in the Backseat
Running Out
Take Your Mama (with Self Esteem)
Paul McCartney
Fire With Fire
Mary
It Can’t Come Quickly Enough
Sex and Violence
Any Which Way
Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd cover)
Invisible Light (With Ian McKellen)
Let’s Have a Kiki
I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
Return to Oz

Encore:
Filthy/Gorgeous
Music Is the Victim

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.