After more than a decade since their last album, indie-sleaze electro-rock legends Gossip have been on a roll packing out venues, with icon singer Beth Ditto relishing in “the idea that people are in on something together”.
The North American outfit, maybe best known for their 2006 anthem ‘Standing in the Way of Control’, dropped their newest album Real Power in March, earlier this year, the first release from the dance-rockers since 2012 – returning to work with Rick Rubin for the first time since the immense Music For Men.
Gossip have been making noise across Europe and the US since the release of Real Power before the Men in Love songwriters hit the Dublin stage for a Wider Than Pictures show in August at Collin’s Barracks, almost five years to the day since the group performed in Ireland.
Ahead of Gossip’s Dublinshow next month, Cathal Ryan caught up with vocalist and icon Beth Ditto to chat about Rick Rubin, Music For Men, CMAT, allyship, and chickens in Hawaii.
Music For Men reached its 15th anniversary last month. Did you have an inkling it was going to be as big a cult classic as it is when Gossip made the record?
Beth Ditto: No, no, never. That’s the beauty, you never know! If you keep your expectations low, you’ll never be disappointed and maybe you’ll even be surprised.
On Music For Men, Rick Rubin said that of all the bands signed to Columbia at the time, his ‘favourite of all of them was the Gossip’. Rick came back to work on your newest album Real Power – what was working on the record at his home studio in Hawaii like?
Beth: It’s funny. He lives on the beach and we were on Kauai so it’s more rural. It’s not like O‘ahu, where Waikiki is and Honolulu, so it’s very touristy and a bit busy, more of a city.
Kauai as a whole is pretty relaxed, it’s really more rural and relaxed. It had that vibe a little bit, if it was raining hard, sometimes it would flash flood. It wasn’t like a resort, you know? Sometimes it felt like camp!
We had a really good time. He’s really really intuitive and really good at working with bands, especially he’s really good at bringing out, he can pick up on what you are struggling with and help you get to the root of why it’s not working out.
You’re doing it together, you really feel like you’re in on something together.
It was great. I mean, it’s Hawaii, it’s sunny, there’s the beach there but there’s a lot of chickens. Lots of chickens running around everywhere for real. But it was beautiful. It was beautiful. It was definitely hot, very hot.
Gossip shared the stage with Irish pop superstar CMAT and her all-star band earlier in the year, alongside Afrodeutsche. Two powerful voices, did you and CMAT get to hang out?
Beth: Manchester? Oh, yeah, we did! She’s so sweet. And she’s such a good singer too! What a sweetheart though. We didn’t get to hang out as much as I wanted to, you never do.
Here’s the thing. You go to festivals. I think people have an idea because when I was a kid, I’d be like, ‘Wow, that makes me wild’. But now I realise there’s no time.
There’s never time! They’re like ‘That must have been a wild party.’ You’re like ‘No, they left. They had to go to the next city.’ It’s funny, it’s so much different than you think it’s going to be.
Gossip shows are incredibly fun, they have been referred to as blurring the ‘lines between the band and the audience’. What makes a Gossip gig?
Beth: That’s really sweet. I really like humans. I like people. Okay, we’re not an art band. You know, we’re not like Sonic Youth. We’re not like Nick Cave.
I always say I don’t really identify as a singer as much as I do, just a ham. I don’t know if you have that phrase. Kind of like a clown, like a wacky person, a zany person. I can’t explain it, like a ham, like being silly all the time.
I like the closeness of people. I like the idea that people are in on something together. I know that sounds so whatever like it sounds Woodstock.
Really big festivals can be really hard because you’re so far away from everybody. It drives me crazy. I just feel like if people aren’t having a really good time, then what’s the point?
I don’t feel like we’re a band that you come to listen to solos, you know? It’s kind of like everybody’s in on it. If the crowds aren’t having fun, then we’re not doing that we’re not engaging. And then it’s like, what’s the point?
I just like for people to have a good time. Gossip has always been a band like that. We’ve always liked that participation of people.
Beth you, alongside Gossip and your music, are such an important voice to platform LGBTQ+ rights – why is it important that artists speak out as allies?
Beth: Everything can exist together. Trust me, you know, we can all have different fucking struggles and all be there for each other, and just compassion goes so far.
I think it’s important right now because there’s a lot at stake for a lot of people and not just queer people, like, a lot of people.
It’s just that thing like, get on the right side of history and really look at what the actual problems are.
Do you really think it’s that there’s somebody who wants to read a book about drag queens to your kids? Do you really think that’s the problem? And it’s like, yeah, some people do, and then you have to move on, because you’re like, ‘Well, I’m never gonna change your mind’.
There’s so much to say it’s important because we need a lot of voices right now and it is an election year.
There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot at stake and it’s like preventing something is so much easier than having to change it and overhaul it.
Gossip’s last Irish show was in August 2019, as part of the Music For Men 10th anniversary tour. Gossip’s show at Collins’ Barracks will be pretty much five years to the month since ye last played here – that must be exciting for an Irish return?
Beth: Exciting! That’s really good math work.
I’m excited about it. I’m excited because it’s we’ve always had a good time there the few times I’ve been there.
I can’t believe it’s gonna just happen to be on the 15th anniversary and it’s like five years after we’ve been there, which was the 10-year anniversary, the reason we were there we were on the 10th-anniversary tour.
That’s so crazy to even put that together. I never would have done that. I’d have been like, what? Seven years ago? Three years ago. I never know, time is so weird!
Beth Ditto and The Gossip will perform at the Wider Than Pictures series at Collin’s Barracks on Tuesday, August 27, with support from Nation of Language and Sprints, in a co-present between Singular Artists and Mother. Tickets cost €41 plus booking fee and can be found here.
THE THE, Deacon Blue, and James Blunt will also perform at the Wider Than Pictures series this August, find out more here.
