Scissor Sisters brought the Kiki to Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre, supported by the brilliant Bimini and The Hidden Cameras.
Sometimes a live music experience is about much more than just the songs or the artist. It can be about the people you are with, the crowd at large, the mood and atmosphere, the shared experience that fleetingly unites thousands of people. The night’s music was amazing, from support act The Hidden Cameras (which was somewhat the Hidden bandmembers tonight as only frontman Joe Gibb was present) to the bold and brilliant Bimini and their dancers, to the luminescence of Scissor Sisters themselves. But beyond the music, there was also something more meaningful going on at Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre, a night that meant so much to many of my friends; and it was humbling to see, feel, understand and share that moment.
The Hidden Cameras provided a gentle entry to the evening, with simple staging and a set of quietly intense songs. Self-described as ‘gay church folk music”, The Hidden Cameras know how to get elaborate with lighting and effects when the occasion calls, but this evening’s set was a more subtle offering, providing a warmly welcoming but unobtrusive backdrop to the arrivals and anticipation of one of the most fabulously outfitted crowds at the Open Air Theatre this season.
Bimini was a contrast in tone and impact; and blown away doesn’t begin to describe how this set hit, whether the audience knew what to expect or not. I don’t think I’ve fallen for an artist so quickly without ever having heard them before, but between the pithy, cutting humour of the lyrics to the dance moves and the attitude, oh so much attitude, Bimini now has a place in my heart forever. Moreover, what their appearance meant to some of my associates is something I won’t forget – more on that further on.
With a punked-up look – redhead wig, fishnets and union jack designs on their outfit, they smashed out God Save This Queen, and brought the most immense Big Dick Energy to the stage (also, the BSL interpreter did a superb job signing these hits). Alongside some covers that kept the energy high – Breathe (Prodigy) and Pass Out (Tinie Tempah) – Bimini’s set never skipped a beat. Saying they slayed would be putting it mildly. Some of the expressions on the audience-cam indicated that a few of those in attendance may not have quite known what they were seeing, but they surely went home well-educated. And indeed, as Bimini stated, the audience were now ‘well lubricated’ for the main act.
It’s my third time seeing the Scissor Sisters and it’s added fun, on this occasion, to see them with a bunch of friends and colleagues who, whilst most were in nappies when I first found the band, have embraced the music and the vibe wholeheartedly. There is the delightfully insane set with inflatable trademark scissors and phone booth – vital only for the intro to Let’s Have a Kiki (and boy, is a kiki had); there are the cowboy hats and sequinned dungarees, the animal print and the neon chiffon ruffles; there are kinky boots and star pasties on a flash of boob; all of this just the icing on the tirade of hits (and Tits – on the Radio), from Take Your Mama to Laura, from the cover of Comfortably Numb to one of my personal favourites, I Can’t Decide; and so much more crammed into a rollicking rock and rolling set, with Jake Shears the grinning ringleader on this cavalcade of joyfulness.
A night with the Scissor Sisters was always going to be a loud and proud celebration of LGBTQIA+ identities, relishing colourful fashion, language and personalities. As one of my young associates put it, “it felt like you could be anyone or anything you wanted to be and it would have been safe”; and that safety, in a world (in a town) that still racks up vile commentary in comments sections when a Pride event is so much as announced, is what is so important to create and nurture. Another of our group was quite overwhelmed by the effect of seeing Bimini perform here in their hometown; a sense that if they’d seen representation like that more frequently in their youth, it really might have changed their life; and given that really, they are still in their youth, it’s a stark reminder that things still have some way to go in terms of diversity, acceptance, inclusivity. It might be easy to allow yourself the comfort of thinking that just because Pride exists or because we often hear phrases like Trans Rights are Human Rights, that it means that society embraces those values, but truthfully there is still work to do. As a step towards reaching greater acceptance and inclusion, representation matters, and tonight’s line-up stood up and stood out proudly for those values; it was a humbling privilege to see the effect this had on those whom it matters so much for. I took away not only some glittering memories of a fun-filled evening but also an internal reminder that I can try harder to be a better ally. And when a live music experience can affect you like that, that’s when you know it’s absolute magic. Ta-Dah!
