SCISSOR SISTERS TORONTO SOUND ACADEMY CONCERT REVIEW (PICS AND VIDEO)

Ana Matronic and Jake Shears

If you've never been to a Scissor Sisters show, you've never been entertained truly. The four-member Performance Art Rock Band brought the house down tonight at Sound Academy, tucked away off the Lakeshore.  Hitting the stage at 10:15 PM after a surprise, yet  uninspired and pitchy opening performance by Casey Spooner, one half of Electropop duo Fischerspooner, Scissor Sisters delivered pure unadulterated sizzle.

Jake Shears

Lead singer Jake Shears arrived on-stage in a tight body suit, torso exposed, while vocalist and personality of the group Ana Matronic, looked sleak in heels and a form-fitting dress, undoubtedly taking some fashion cues from Kylie Minogue, a good friend of the band.

The audience was on its feet dancing right from the get-go with opener Night Work, the title track off their third studio effort about the life of a Hustler, perpetuating the group's obsession with the perverse. A delivery of their latest single Any Which Way, a laughable yet honest tribute to the Disco era, was delicious with simplistically stylish almost Aerobics-like choreography which had Shears and Matronic joining hands, tugging and pulling one another.

What made the show wonderful was its cohesive blend of older and newer material; there was never a patchy moment and their delivery of first major hit Take Your Mama was timed perfectly, with the audience of mostly Gay men and their female friends, all singing in unisons - hands in the air.

Both Shears and Matronic made efforts to connect with the audience between songs. Shears told the audience how much he loved his Boyfriend, who happened to be waiting for him at Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville as he introduced the track Skin Tight. Matronic reflected on life before fame, performing at dive bars in San Francisco on Tranny Night.

Elton John-penned I Don't Feel Like Dancin' demanded high energy of the band late in the show, but they showed absolutely no sign of their letting-up. Shears sweetly took a moment to serenade Guitarist Del Marquis with Happy Birthday. Babydaddy stood stage left most of the night with his Guitar, barely present.

The best was saved for last tonight in the show's Encore. Their Bee Gees-inspired cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb was well worth the wait, but the ultimate moment of the night was Invisible Light which featured a mesmerizing display of lights, as Shears and Matronic danced to flashing Strobelights - a spectacle indescribable. Watch it below to believe it (audio content owned by Universal Music):

By the end of it all, the audience appeared just satisfied - no need for more nor less with 90 minutes flying by oh so quickly.  To make it extra memorable, Shears waved goodbye to the audience in another one of his body suits, buttocks exposed through a sheer material.  Phenomenal. 

Check out some more photos I got from the show below:

Ana Matronic straddles Jake Shears

Del Marquis and Jake Shears

Ana Matronic

Babydaddy

Casey Spooner (Opener)

Jake Shears exposes buttocks

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)