Scissor Sisters Return to Oz: Ian Mckellen's surprise appearance at The O2 left me speechless

It’s crazy to think that I was a little five-year-old when the Scissor Sisters blasted onto our radios with their debut album over 20 years ago. But more than two decades later, it was easy to see why these American glam-rockers made such an impression on the UK - and the world.

It was everything you’d expect from the band: falsetto singing, camp choreography, raunchy costumes, and a carefree air.

For one night only, the New York icons performed their biggest hits for the roaring crowds as they celebrated the release of Scissor Sisters.

Frontman Jake Shears was joined by Babydaddy, Del Marquis, and Randy Real as they sang hit after hit to thousands of fans in the arena.

The last time I was inside the O2 in Greenwich was for Janet Jackson's show in September 2024, and as I walked past security and into the arena, I could tell I was waiting for another queer icon.

Even just by the clothing, you could tell we were in for a great night. People donned their best sequins, statement hats, and animal prints to dance the night away.

I’d had my hair in rollers all day, and by the time the show rolled around, boy was I ready to have a Kiki?!

I was given the tickets to this show by my bestie, Meghan Lumb, for my birthday. And it was so fitting to be eagerly awaiting these legends with my soul sister by my side.

After getting some water and a bag of pick-and-mix, we sat in our seats and had a fantastic view of the stage.

She was impressed with the music while we waited for the stage to be dressed after Alison Goldfrapp’s performance. Meghan said: “Usually the tunes aren’t as good. They have curated it to the queer audience, honouring electronic dance classics.”

The show began with a gorilla dancing to Dolly Parton, I mean, what a way to start!

Right out of the gate, ‘Laura’ started the show. In unison, we sang: “This’ll be the last time I ever do your hair!”

In Ana Matronic’s absence, Texas’ Amber Martin and New York’s Bridget Barkan sang the female harmonies and brought some sleaze to the stage.

The ladies put their own spin on the songs and sprawled across the fake car. In the middle stood a huge pair of scissors, naturally.

I was pleasantly surprised by those I saw in the audience - old, young, friends, families, lovers.

Mid-set, Jake said: “It warmed my heart that so many of y’all are here with your folks and siblings.” as he revealed that the ‘Scissor Mothers’ were all in the house.

The Arizona native also told the crowds he has been living in the city for three years and thanked the UK for being so welcoming.

From the visuals, which were straight out of an 80s music video, to the costume changes and choreography, the band was there to give it their all.

For the first time since 2007, Lovers In The Backseat was performed by the band. My faves of the night had to be ‘She’s My Man’, ‘I Can’t Decide’ and ‘Mary’.

It was so special to stand, arm in arm with my bestie as we sang along to the heartfelt lyrics, with Jake dedicating the song to his friend.

I had goosebumps as he reflected on his career, and reminisced about their first album - and how the UK embraced their style.

Self Esteem joined in with ‘Take Your Mama’ before we were treated to a mini rendition of George Michael’s ‘Freedom 90’ - the whole audience clapping in unison.

The vocals were impeccable, sounding just the same as they did all those years ago. As an amateur guitarist, I stood, mouth open, as Del Marquis gave it his all.

There was a bit of Bee Gees flair added to ‘Any Which Way’ and turned the arena into a carnival.

As if they knew we needed a tonic to stay on our feet all the way until the end,

Sir Ian McKellen emerged during his spoken-word monologue from the 2010 hit ‘Invisible Light’.

We danced, with tears in our eyes, commanded by McKellen as he told us to go “into the light”.

For the encore, just as Meghan had hoped, ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’ came as the penultimate song of the evening.

Jake in a short zebra print dress, and matching briefs, inflatable breasts popped up behind the scissors.

Cue the mad dash to the tube: We got on the first Jubilee line home, thankfully.

On the way back, we heard some guys complaining about the sound quality. In retrospect, there was a bit of a reverb on the microphone and a slight delay.

For me, the best part was the party atmosphere - a feeling of being unleashed and allowed to dance as much as we all wanted. Most of that probably lends itself to that same quality that Scissor Sisters represented back in 204 - a subversion of the norm, and embracing that as being just as accepted as anything else.

Meghan and I both came away with a few songs that we just never knew were theirs.

She said: “It’s like they awakened something in me, after all these years.”