By Cathy Anderson

From sex and sleaze to relationship needs, Scissor Sisters have a change of heart – they’re scaling sexy back.
Yes, the mesh and spandex-loving glam rockers revered for their outrageous brand of filthy, yet delicious, camp are zipping their flies and re-lacing their bustiers up tight for their forthcoming album.
Maybe it had to happen. Their latest release, Night Work, went all the way with raunchy, lust- filled lyrics. Consider Any Which Way : ‘‘I want you to funk me, your battleship has sunk me’’; and Harder You Get: ‘‘Harder you get, all in my sweat; never too wet to want it all.’’
Either that or their call-up to perform at the pre-launch of the 2012 London Olympics meant some restraint was in order.
Frontman Jake Shears says it was time for the band to mix it up again.
‘‘That (Night Work) was very sexy,’’ he says with a laugh. ‘‘This one’s more about love and friendship and good times. It’s more about relationships than sex.’’
But Shears says it’s no reason for fans to start wearing nanna knitwear and chastity belts to their gigs. You’ll still need room to groove.
‘‘It’s super summery and happy,’’ Shears says of the band’s new sound.

‘‘You don’t tell anybody, but it’s great to test music out on a dance floor.’’

‘‘It’s very beat driven, more so than bassline driven. The beats are really bizarre and cool and fun. It’s a fun record to dance to.’’
Shears was inspired by a newly renewed love affair with dance music, Ibiza’s clubbing culture and working with German DJ Boys Noize.
In between recording sessions with bandmates Ana Matronic, Babydaddy and Del Marquis, Shears has been cutting new tracks in New York clubs under the DJ moniker Crystal Pepsi, using clubbers as musical lab rats.
‘‘You don’t tell anybody, but it’s great to test music out on a dance floor,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s really exciting to play some of our new songs, which really mix in well with edgier dance music.’’
And he expects their fans to double-take.
‘‘What I want for this band is that when you say ‘Scissor Sisters’ you’re gonna instantly know what you’re talking about,’’ he says.
‘‘But I think it’s going to make people have to reconsider all their preconceived notions of what they think this band is. We’re doing stuff on this record we’ve never done before.’’

‘‘I make a lot of animal, guttural noises that are really embarrassing.”

While US clubbers have had the jump on the new Scissor Sisters’ material, Aussie audiences are next on the hit list as the band whizzes through four back-to-back gigs, kicking off at Pyramid Rock Festival on New Year’s Eve.
Despite the hectic schedule, Shears says he’ll be pumped on stage – but not off it.
‘‘Doing those kind of runs is like a marathon,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s really intense. I don’t know how anybody can party on the road. I like exercising a lot. I wanna feel ready to go, you know?’’
But before Shears unleashes his swagger and high octaves to the crowd, he admits to being a little more than primal.
‘‘I do the most ridiculous warm-ups,’’ he says.
‘‘I make a lot of animal, guttural noises that are really embarrassing.
‘‘Sometimes I get shy if there are other people around, but once I get in the mode of touring, like, I don’t care. I feel the same way about getting naked in the dressing room. I’m sorry, if you’re there you might see my nuts.’’

Original article appeared in mX newspaper