Scissor Sisters, Friendly Fires, Jayda G, Dan Shake, Horse Meat Disco, Storm Mollison, and Soul II Soul

It may not be immediately apparent, but the Scissor Sisters can safely be called one of the few genuinely subversive pop stars in recent years. Think about it, how many other bands have won three BRIT Awards and one Ivor Novello, sold two million copies of their debut album in the UK alone, have completed several sold out arena tours and have headlined major festivals in the same country, all the while being named after a lesbian sex act? The list, dear reader, is very short. The best way of directly experiencing just how expertly they straddle the line between mainstream pop sensations and edgy, underground club fiends, I hear you ask? You need only see them live. Both Jake Shears and Ana Matronic were born to front a band and together, they’re unstoppable. Shears dances up a storm with his falsetto ringing out perfectly, losing more and more clothing as the gig goes on, while Ana takes a more commanding role, toasting the audience mid song while providing lead and backing vocals for every pulsating disco classic. Every aspect of the band is magnified in the live arena, transforming every venue they play from theatre to arena to festival into a club night at the end of the world, that no-one’s going to be quite the same after, but no-one would have it any other way. For the kind of fun that you can’t wash out afterwards, nobody does it quite as well as the Scissor Sisters.

Touting one of the finest collections of indie-pop in UK history, Hertfordshire trio Friendly Fires are a treat to behold live. Fans of rabble-rousing, dancefloor infernos and cutting meticulous shapes will swoon at mainman Ed Macfarlane's ringleader approach to gigs, manipulating audiences into pools of boogie-ing mayhem. With a pelvis like Elvis, Macfarlane's hip-game is on fire – and that, in itself, is a magnetic force sure to draw throngs. His penchant for floral shirts is pretty impressive too. Doozies like “Paris”, “Kiss Of Life”, “Hawaiian Air”, “Jump In The Pool” and “Skeleton Boy” are frequent set highlights. Doused in the kaleidoscopic chaos of spotlights and strobes, the three-piece are insistent when it comes to crafting a party atmosphere. There's no room for standing, beard-stroking, or pensive poserism; if you arrive at a Friendly Fires show, you'd better be prepared to sweat. You'll ache in the morning, but boy, you'll have had the time of your life the night before.
They've been a quiet storm over the past couple of years since the release of 2011's Pala, but in recent talks with NME and other outlets, they've begun to discuss the prospect of a newfangled psychedelic direction, which is an exciting notion. Electro-indie-dance-psych? Phwoar.

One of the best nights of my life. Disco in New York? Nothing could be better! Sexy boys, sexy tracks and large and sexy disco ball. Met some cracking people and danced the night away! I felt love!

Soul II Soul are legends in the eyes of soul and RnB fans, with the British collective being one of the few bands to crossover to the US at the end of the ‘80s. Jazzie B’s experimental RnB group, which has featured a rotating lineup, have been going since 1988 and soon after were signed to Virgin Records. After they dropped their landmark debut, Club Classics Vol. One, in 1989, a handful of follow-ups followed up throughout the ‘90s; for a while at least, their dance-laced soul pop was pretty ubiquitous. These days, Jazzie B and co regulars on the festival circuit. They are just so incredibly well suited to big, open-air main stages, especially when the sun is shining. I saw them for the first time recently on the main stage at London’s Lovebox, where the veterans had an audience of young and old dancing around in glorious sun. Jazz B still looked like the don and the band were super efficient. Obviously their massive hit ‘Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)’, which they ended on, achieved a massive sing-a-along – perhaps the biggest sing-a-long of the day. Caron Wheeler’s vocals are still impressive, even after all this years, and it was one of the festival highlights. Soul II Soul have still got it!