Redeye - Bois, tois and heavy petting October 25 2006

The last few weeks, it seems, Atlanta has gone all punch drunk. Bands have traded guitar hooks for right hooks and DJs traded decks for decking crowd members. I won’t revisit the particulars, but it’s been like a deli opened that only serves knuckle sandwiches.

I prefer loved-up to roughed-up, so I partied among crowds where the only muscle — besides the love muscle — is for pure show. I enjoyed a two-night Tabernacle stand Oct. 18-19, catching first Scissor Sisters and then the Pet Shop Boys.

While there were surely some people at Scissor Sisters who have had a dangerous bone in their bodies, I didn’t feel threatened. How can you feel threatened hanging out with Sons of Dorothy and even some chick dressed as Dorothy? Indeed, for one night the Tabernacle was, as Scissor Sisters’ female lead Ana Matronic dubbed it, not a house of God but a “House of Odd.” I mean, male lead Jake Shears, whose family was in attendance, has exactly two modes: “Off” and “Prance.” You can’t be threatened by a man with a flawless falsetto, who sports lamé yet is not lame and can cup a twink audience in his palm, tugging gently at their ... Anyhoo, maybe you could be threatened by a cluster of bears (thems big, hairy gay mens), but only because the band dubbed them “Pooh corner.” Ick.

Scissor Sisters rocked out extended versions from their two albums to date, belting Bee Gees-meets-Elton John cabaret jams. The Pet Shop Boys, meanwhile, had to do the opposite — condensing some hits in order to tightly pack a set drawing from the U.K. duo’s two-decade-plus career. In front of a modular, semi-transparent set, the Boys presented their psychosexual aesthetic celebrating tolerance and curiosities to a disco beat. My friend Toby celebrated his birthday, my pal BK Broiler had a rebirth and Nicole Paige Brooks stood in rapture. And at one point, there was a dancing top hat, a great complement to the mesh(?!) tails Jake Shears previously sported. Over two nights I went from go-go glam rock circuit party to fastidious flamboyant synth-pop. Atlanta truly appreciates a gay old time...

And now a birthday roll call: Krog Bar has been around for one year, MJQ for nine years and J-Luv for forever and a day. Kidding. Just forever. And we’re happy to have them all long as they wanna hang.

Finally, spurred by the past week’s costumed balls and birthdays I should mention Liquified’s 12th anniversary on Sat., Oct. 28 at Eleven50 with a five-hour DJ set from U.K. prog-breaks outfit Hybrid plus Ian James and Prince Presto.

RedEye celebrates going out and going off. Send comments to redeye@creativeloafing.com, but hand-scrawled hate mail is preferred.