Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York"[1] who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism.[2] Formed in 2001, its members consist of Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real as drummer (who replaced Paddy Boom).

Scissor Sisters came to prominence following the release of their disco version of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" became a commercial success and topped the charts throughout Europe eventually scoring a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording, their eponymous debut album became an international success particularly in the United Kingdom (a country they call their "spiritual home")[3] where the album reached number one, was the best-selling album of 2004, was later certified platinum by the BPI and accrued them three BRIT Awards in 2005. Several releases from the album also accomplished positions within the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart, including "Laura", "Comfortably Numb", "Take Your Mama", "Mary" and "Filthy/Gorgeous". The latter also scored the band their first number one on the Billboard chart for Hot Dance Club Songs. Although merely as successful in their native United States, the album was also a chart success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada. The band's following up studio album Ta-Dah proved to be another commercial and critical success for the band and scored them their second consecutive number one album in the UK as well producing their debut number one single in the UK "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'". Displaying a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, their third studio album Night Work was released in 2010 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, number one on Billboard's Top Independent Albums charts and in the top ten of several international territories.

Scissor Sisters are well-recognized for their controversial and transgressive live performances and have performed around the world. They have also collaborated with a number of other well known pop musicians including Elton John and Kylie Minogue; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. In 2004, Bono, lead vocalist of rock band U2, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world".[4] They also collaborated with Global Cool in 2007 on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.[5]

Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters at Super Bock Super Rock 2007, in Portugal
Background information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Alternative, glam rock, pop, nu-disco, electroclash
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Polydor, Universal, Warner Bros., Jive, Nonesuch, Motown
Website	scissorsisters.com
Members
Ana Matronic Babydaddy Del Marquis Jake Shears Randy Real
Past members
Paddy Boom

History :

The band, originally named the Fibrillating Scissor Sisters, was founded in 2000, after Jake Shears and Scott "Babydaddy" Hoffman, two friends who had met in 1999 in Lexington, Kentucky, both moved to New York, enjoying its openly gay-friendly ethos. They subsequently decided to begin producing music together, with Babydaddy composing the songs and Shears writing the lyrics. The duo released a couple of singles to little success and began appearing at underground clubs on New York City's Lower East Side, which at the time was in the grip of electroclash, a genre that subsequently influenced them.[6]

On a trip to Disneyland, they met a woman named Ana "Ana Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson's Captain EO, and on a subsequent teacup ride they discussed the type of music that they liked, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears would later remark that "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Just Another Part Of Me" she showed me the best moonwalk I've ever seen."[7] Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch", and that a performer dressed as a giant vagina "enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"."[8] Matronic invited the Scissor Sisters to appear at Knock Off, which they did on 21 September 2001, 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack shook the city. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol's Factory. During the performance, she joined them on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed. The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash, which was popular at the time in the underground Club Scene in New York with bands like Peaches and Chicks on Speed.[9]

They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis" Gruen on lead guitar, who knew Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper.[10] They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor, on drums, who – being heterosexual – had to explain to his mother after joining that "it's not a gay band … there [are] gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."[11]

In 2002 the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two single deal. Their first single, "Electrobix", dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out. The single proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". Later commenting on their rendition of the progressive rock classic, Matronic stated that "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers, Roger Waters and David Gilmour.[12][13] The song proved to be particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003 they decided they would tour Europe, which they believed would be more receptive of them and their music than their homeland.[14]