Beth Ditto, Punk Princess

Earlier this month, Jenny and I spent a chilly Friday night at Metro Chicago, seeing The Gossip'se first Chicago show in years. Since they last played the Windy City, the Gossip has exploded, becoming a huge sensation in Europe and released their latest album, Music for Men, on major label Sony Records. The lead singer, Beth Ditto, has become a celebrity all to herself. Known for her feminist ethics and activism around queer and fat rights, Ditto has become a somewhat unlikely muse for the fashion world. With her face plastered on magazines and her own clothing line, Ditto is much more a household name than she was three years ago.

With that in mind, we weren't sure what to expect when opening act MEN (featuring J.D. Sampson from LeTigre) finished and The Gossip took the stage. Their shows have traditionally been intimate, even when playing large venues, with Ditto interacting with the crowd and smashing the fourth wall between the band and the audience to pieces by the end of their first song. I was concerned that, with their major label status and rapidly rising climb to fame, The Gossip would present a more polished, removed and ultimately less satisfying show.

There was no need to worry. Playing a mix of their new songs and old favorites, including covers of "Rebel Girl" "Psycho Killer" and "What's Love Got To Do With It", The Gossip has stayed true to themselves. Ditto engaged the audience, even pulling a boy on stage who was from her hometown and stopping the show to talk to him. Their lyrics about broken hearts and queer pride are just as strong as ever, and she serves as a strong role model for self acceptance, pride in all regards and using music as a way to celebrate community. Even though the 1,000+ capacity club was nearly sold out, it felt like it was a show in a local civic center. The sound was great, despite Ditto being sick, but the real strength of the show was the interaction with the fans. Despite what cynics might say, punk and riot grrrl are not dead - at least not as long as Beth Ditto and The Gossip have anything to say about it.