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It must be hard being in Fischerspooner. After pottering about in the
blossoming electroclash scene for a couple of years, you burst through to
the mainstream in a blaze of glory. Emerge is christened the greatest
dance track since I Feel Love by just about everybody. But both your
albums fail to set the charts alight and the backlash starts. It's a good job then that Casey Spooner and
Warren Fischer have taken the highs with the lows and come out flouncing.
As much performance artists as they are musicians, Fischerspooner set out to
create elaborate live performances from the off. Spectacular they may have
been, but for most, the expensive overdramatics of what were essentially
lip-synched shows were too much to stomach. It was telling when, in 2005, Fischerspooner returned to the UK live scene for a show
at London's Scala that was so stripped of art and band-focused that they
were largely unrecognisable.
So for Smirnoff (the sponsors of the evening's Electric Cabaret event) to
book the band for their launch event is a brave, albeit shrewd, move. As the
cabaret and burlesque scene booms, it was guaranteed that, particularly in
such a grand venue as Koko, Fischerspooner would fit in perfectly. Even your
everyday punter was invited to be part of the magic with free boas, hats and
fancy headgear distributed upon arrival and cocktails flowing aplenty as
human beatboxers, men inside balloons and can-can girls (all hosted by the
very lovely Annie Mac) kept the waiting crowd entertained.
Having opened with Wire cover The 15th, the party really started when
a canon full of red glitter tape was launched into the audience during
Sweetness. Never one to skimp on outfits Casey appeared resplendent
in a military style jacket, matching 3/4 length pants and knee-high boots,
accompanied by ethereal dancers and the rest of the band. Descending into
Madonna-esque levels of costume changes (and using instrumentals such as
Megacolon to neatly cover them) this was only the first of four
outfits for an hour performance, which was to include a harlequin suit and a
fabulous red, glittery coat.
While the assembled masses went crazy for the drum-beat heavy Happy
and the David Byrne-scribed lyrics of Get Confused, it was the
oft-overlooked We Need A War that made the most impression. It may
always be fun to wrongly sing "we need a war of knickers" during the chorus,
but it was here that the strong band and stunning theatrical elements of
Fischerspooner's work came together most effectively. Introducing
Emerge with "This is known as selling out," their albatross was cut
off in its peak (later to return as an encore), before continuing into
sound-a-like new song Unrealistic.
A final cannon of glitter finishes the show, and while it might be the
Scissor Sisters who are riding high in the charts, the audience surely can't
help but realise it's these original underground New York scenesters who
wrote the book on flamboyant, mesmerising live shows.
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