On Sunday night I had the immense pleasure of seeing The Gossip play the sold out Prince Bandroom.
The Gossip, aka. The Ugliest Band in Rock (have you seen their album
shots?), have garnered a lot of publicity in the lead up to this tour with
lead singer Beth Ditto in particular getting a lot of media coverage. She
is brash, outspoken and based on last night’s evidence, one HELL of a
performer.
From the moment Beth opened her mouth and belted out her first note I was
smitten. This woman can sing. She has a real presence on stage and her
personality and charisma are palpable. But it’s the voice that does it for
me. It was amazing. If you’ve heard any of their album tracks, multiply the
timbre, strength and energy of the vocals tenfold and you’ll get an idea of
the sound. Beth bantered with the crowd, had a wee sit down to take off her
shoes, and took great delight in learning a new Aussie phrase “pink bits”.
Here’s hoping it’s something she can include in a future track. She is not
shy, she is obviously enjoying herself and she has a great onstage
presence. This woman is a star.
The crowd obvious enjoyed the energy and skill of the set and the vibe was
electric. The band peppered their set with cheesy 80s tracks (such as
‘Simply the Best’ and ‘Addicted to Love’) as intros to their own which gave
everyone a laugh. Their best known track 'Standing in the Way of Control'
was saved for last and the crowd went OFF. Beth made her way into the front
of the audience for a bit but the track was somewhat marred by two dancing
idiots who distracted somewhat from the song. The band (and security)
didn’t seem to mind too much and were so relaxed that I thought perhaps it
was a set up. The Gossip came back for a single encore... bizarrely enough
they played George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ – Gossip style (which was
far far better than the original in my opinion). My only criticism, if you
can call it that, was that the set was over too soon. I – and everyone else
I’m sure – wanted more!
I have liked The Gossip since I first heard their album 'Standing in
the Way of Control' but after last night’s gig I am #1 Superfan. This was
the best gig of 2007. It is rare to come out of a gig feeling as though you
were part of something big and last night there was an unusual sense of
elation at the experience. I feel privileged to have seen them play in
what is a relatively intimate setting and I will be first in line for
tickets to any future tours.
