Feel like dancin'?

If you're looking for a good time, we recommend getting on the guestlist for one of Ana Matronic's house parties. They sound really, really cool.

"My husband and I both do lights and we have a great space in Brooklyn that is perfect for parties. So if we are in the mood to put on music and have a boogie, we call up some friends," says the Scissor Sisters frontwoman over the phone from Bali, where the band were performing last week. "We are definitely house heads, and we have a lot of friends who, like me, were Goths in high school, so we'll throw on some Cabaret Voltaire, Soft Cell for old times' sake. Maybe The Cure. You can never go wrong throwing on some Fascination Street. It sounds amazing played really loud," she purrs. "If you are lucky enough to get an invitation, you'll have a really good time."

Okay, so it's unlikely we'll be partying in New York with Ana (born Ana Lynch) any time soon, but then again, we don't have to — the red-headed vocalist will be joining her self-described "flamboyant" bandmates on stage in Abu Dhabi this Thursday at the Flash Forum (they're supported by Ms Dynamite). From the sounds of it, the party will be just as much fun, with a twist.

"It's less of a concert or a show where there is a divide between the audience and the performers on stage, and more like a party at your mum and dad's house," says Ana.

"At the heart of every Scissor Sisters show is a rock band... but we are a bunch of incredibly flamboyant people, myself and Jake [Shears, the band's songwriter and male frontman] especially, and we play to the audience, and we like to involve the audience in the show."

I tell her that UAE audiences are known for being, to put it nicely, rather reticent at concerts. She's unfazed. She will make you dance.

"I find that the best thing to do is to really engage people and talk to people personally," she says. "Last night we played in Hong Kong and there was a guy who was standing smack dab in the middle, not moving, and not smiling. So I asked him if he was having a good time. Then, of course, you need to acknowledge the people who are going crazy, point them out and say ‘do what they're doing — they are having a really good time'. We encourage people to use our shows to dance out the problems of the day."

The band — also comprising songwriter Babydaddy (along with Shears, the band's co-founder), bassist Del Marquis and tour drummer Randy Real — drew the attention of the music industry with a divisive cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb in 2004, but if you've got any Sisters song in your head right now, it's probably the disco-charged I Don't Feel Like Dancin', one of their biggest hits and a sound that for a few years has defined them. If their new single, Shady Love, released last week, is anything to go by, that sound is all set to change. The track features up-and-coming hip-hop star Azealia Banks (credited as Krystal Pepsy) but she's not the one rapping — that's taken up by Shears, who's usually known for his high-pitched vocals. It released on January 2, garnering a positive response, with NME hailing it "the first pop stonker of the New Year".

‘Take our time'

"It's always amazing to have a response like that, especially with a song that is a bit of a risk take — which that one definitely is," says Ana. "It's definitely territory that for us is uncharted."

The album, their fourth, was recorded in under three weeks last December, an unusually frenetic recording session for the band who have been known to take their time in the studio.

"It was the fastest we've ever worked. We like to take our time a lot, with albums — we took our time with the first one, and the second one... and the third one," laughs Ana, sounding like she was just then coming to terms with just how quickly it's all happening. "It was almost shocking how quickly it went. When you are on a creative roll like that, you can't fight it. Luckily it worked."

As a band who take their time, the temptation to continue fiddling must be pretty strong?

"It is. It's always really good to have people around you who can look at you and say ‘stop fiddling, it's done'. We have people that we really trust; our tour DJ Sammy Joe is one of the most trusted confidantes we have, we also worked with Amanda Ghost, who is a great resource musically." (Ghost is the Grammy-nominated producer-songwriter responsible for tracks from James Blunt's You're Beautiful to Beyonce and Shakira's Beautiful Liar.)

"It was just all the frenzy of creativity and excitement and new energy and we were all really excited about it. So when that one came about [Shady Love] we just wanted to get it out as soon as possible."

Listen to the track online, but don't expect to hear Shady Love on Thursday. Asked if the Abu Dhabi crowd will get to hear any of the new album, I get a resounding "No!" from Ana, followed by a "sorry!". But it's not really about secrecy. If the Scissor Sisters didn't get to take their time recording, well then they damn well will when it comes to rehearsing for live performances.

"It takes us a while to figure out songs for the live shows. We like to take our time for that. We've set aside a block of time to rehearse and get those things down. We like to be comfortable on stage. Comfort is very difficult if you don't feel confident about the material you are performing if it's new. We like to really let it sink into us so we can relax and have fun with the music."

As for the more contemporary dance music sound — the band are known for their rock-disco style, "We are always trying to push ourselves in different directions, and it was Jake who was really inspired by a lot of the dance music that he's been DJing," explains Ana. "You have to push yourself to stay provocative and keep people interested."

What about alienating the fan base? "It's a very fine line, a balancing act. We like to push ourselves — Jake and I love, love, love dance music, so we will always have that element — but at the heart of what we do is a rock band and we love good songs. So we try to keep those things, no matter what the show looks like."

It’s the freakin’ weekend

An integral element of a Scissor Sisters concert is the band's distinctive look, from Ana Matronic's flaming red hair to Jake Shears' revealing jumpsuits. On this tour, the designs are by Adam Selman — the stylist and designer behind many musicians' stage outfits, including the looks on Rihanna's recent tour.

"Everything I wear on stage is couture," says Ana. "I like to have things made for me. Adam Selman used to be our wardrobe manager on tour. He really knows us and he knows me, what I like, my body and plays to my likes and my strengths."

Where does the provocatively attired band from a few years ago now fit into a musical landscape dominated by the likes of Lady Gaga, I ask. "I think the thing with us is we've always been authentic, we've always been who we are. Jake and I have always been freaks who love to dress up and get up on stage. We were freaks in high school and we are freaks now.

"As much as I love dressing up, at the heart of it, I am a human being and I do not want to be treated differently, be put up on a pedestal. What we try to do in our shows is communicate, and I do not feel that I am different from anyone in the audience watching us."

Don't miss it

Scissor Sisters perform at Flash Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on Thursday, supported by Ms Dynamite. Tickets for the strictly over 18 show are priced Dh295 for general admission. Go to thinkflash.ae.