Pop music has exploded in an edgy, sexy, supremely tuneful commotion thanks to the uncommonly brilliant sounds of the Scissor Sisters.

Creative sparks first ignited five years ago, when a then 19-year-old explosion of energy called Jake Shears was introduced to a multi-instrumentalist who goes by the title of Babydaddy. Fired up by a passion for solid songwriting and off-the-wall humour, they joined forces to write hook-studded tunes, adopted NYC as their home and agreed on a cheeky name that’s caused confusion and provoked many blushes in turn. “None of us are lesbians, though” says Scissor Sisters, helpfully.

Sex, inevitably, plays a significant part in the music. After all, Jake discovered a knack for performance during his stint as a go-go dancer, to raise funds for a European college trip. “I’m so grateful that I went through that phase of dancing on bars for dollars!” he says. “It made me totally unashamed to go crazy. Once you’ve taken your clothes off in front of hundreds of people, things get a lot easier.”

Shameless? Absolutely, and infectiously essential, too. Scissor Sisters bring together rollicking guitar riffs, throbbing synths and a whole bunch of wicked lyrics. Their influences skitter through glimmers of vintage Bowie, Roxy Music, and Elton john to Giorgio Moroder, burlesque theatre and rock opera. At college, Jake had majored in Fiction Writing and numbers like the catch glam rockin’ groove of the their major-label single ‘Laura’ (I gotta give myself one more chance/To be the man that I know I am) weave feature-length stories through song. Sometimes, it sounds like they’re partying hard on cheap champagne; at other points, the moods are downtempo, and beautifully, surprisingly wistful: radio-friendly soundtracks for the morning after.

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