The bass line cuts sharp and staccato through the crowd’s raucous shouts. Lead singer Beth Ditto pours her voice into a microphone, cadenced and smooth, singing, “Dimestore diamond/shines like the real thing, real thing, real thing.” Gossip are performing the lead track from their latest album, “Music for Men.”
Crisp, full of swagger and unwavering in its groove, Gossip are a darker shade of dance.
“Dimestore Diamond” is the epitome of Gossip. Never overwrought or dependent on emotional swells of sound, Gossip rely on steady rhythmic funk and Ditto’s soulful but edgy vocals to carry their band.
And carry their band it did. The three-piece, indie dance-punk band from Arkansas, consisting of pink-haired frontwoman Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie, have been going strong since their 2001 debut, “That’s Not What I Heard.” Their success relies not only on the quality of their sound, but also the outrageousness of their shows.
Gossip are momentous. Ditto exudes all that a rock ‘n’ roll frontwoman needs to be. More than confident, she approaches cocky, but only in the good way — she knows the audience is there for her. Decked out in kabuki-like makeup and a skin-tight satiny dress, Ditto is as controversial as she is talented. Self-proclaimed punk and in-your-face outspoken activist, Ditto commands the stage like a woman on a mission, and Paine and Blilie remain her steadfast comrades, backing Ditto in her musical conquest.
Ditto never shies away from controversy; rather, she lets it inspire her performance. Lesbian and feminist in the most riot grrrl-y way possible, she belted out the words to “Men in Love,” Gossip’s fast-paced track about same-sex romance. Her lyrics are clever and self-aware: “Since the beginning of time/Put your hand in mine/Come along and you’ll find/It’s the perfect crime,” and the audience can only bounce and scream along to the catchy chorus of “na na na’s.”
Gossip don’t interact much verbally with the crowd — they don’t have to. Strutting back and forth, Ditto remains largely on the edge of the stage, convincing each and every audience member that she is singing directly to their moshing, dancing and screaming selves. Every time she held her hand out to the crowd, one was convinced that she was an international pop sensation from the way fans screamed and pushed to touch her.
The best interactions occurred when Ditto broke the barrier between the band and the crowd, stepping onto the chaotic floor during their performance of “Listen Up!,” their single from their 2006 breakout album “Standing in the Way of Control.” “Listen Up!” is a Gossip classic. Dark and almost foreboding but still hip and danceable, this track is a sly warning against, well, gossip. Amidst a sea of belligerently inebriated moshing fans, Ditto’s cool enthusiasm and relentless movement through the audience made her seem like one of the crowd — she seemed almost like a trashed-out fan singing along with her favorite band.
Ditto’s solidarity with the crowd served as a constant reminder that Gossip never forget where they come from. Not only thankful to their fans, the band paid dues to their predecessors, covering pieces of the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” and riot grrrl legends Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” during their encore.
Ditto couldn’t let it end there, though. She couldn’t even let it end with an extended crowd surf. After Gossip’s encore, she returned to the stage sans her bandmates and led the remaining audience members in a rendition of “We Are the Champions,” yet another throwback to those musicians who came before her.
Gossip just know. They know where they come from, they know where they’re going and they know that, no matter what, they’re taking their army of loyal fans with them.
You can reach this staff writer at kcasino@theeagleonline.com.
