Column Two: Keeping You Alive

Oh, we all know where we stand on Beth Ditto, here in the UK.

She's a force to the good, a welcome injection of spunk into the mainstream, an outspoken champion for the outsiders and queers, the bullied and maligned, the youth. Her credentials are impeccable: her band Gossip came from Buttfuck, USA and moved to the coolest city in the land (Olympia WA, or is it Portland OR, it's so confusing these days) as soon as they were able. They came to feminism via punk rock and Riot Grrrl. Or was it the other way round? It'd be wrong to say they don't care ‘bout the way they look - they so obviously care ‘bout the way they look; check the videos and photo shoots. It's more that they're not in thrall to society's mores and expected standards of beauty. And yeah, that's a reason to love ‘em. Plus they're everywhere! Hanging out with the media princesses of the day, writing advice columns for British broadsheets, soundtracking adverts for trendy TV shows, posing naked for the front of music bibles...They don't take themselves too serious, neither - just serious enough to make great party music.

Oh yeah, there's the music: I don't hold much with sounds these days that parade youth and shout and scream, but point one: Beth Ditto can sing, like I understand sing. So what if she likes to belt it out? So did Aretha Franklin, so did Otis. She can emote, and shake with passion and desire. Ain't that enough? Point two: Nathan is a great minimal guitarist in the no-wave mould, jagged and abrasive and smart enough to know just when to cut it out. Sure, sometimes I wish they'd forget their punk rock (and Olympia) training and get a damn bassist in - I don't say this for everyone, no way, not this boy brought up on the gospel of the bass-less Cramps and Beat Happening), but their music would have so much more scope, leap into another dimension altogether. What the hell. Beth's voice does for most of that (and the forcefully restrained drumming) and Gossip remain the last band to have made me dance full-pelt in crowded auditorium at 1.30am, sweater, Parka and all. (It was in Seattle, near three years back: and even then we could hear the clarion call. A few days later, Beth and Nathan were shining lights at an all-night dance party I attended, that only ended with the arrival of the police, upon which Nathan crawled over the roof.)

Gossip understand the need for a great title, and presence, and a shouted slogan. They understand rock's primary purpose: to entertain and embolden and intensify the generation gap...and, speaking as the parent of a near three-year-old, tired out my skull, I find it near impossible to listen to them, they're way too shout-y and energetic and vigorous, when all I need is the sound of distant sirens echoing across the South Downs and maybe a little dub or early Sixties soul to help soothe my overreaching mind.

So there's a new Gossip album out - the raucous and inspirational Live In Liverpool (their second live album, not their first as their UK press agent erroneously stated) - and it's throbbing and pulsating through my speakers now; and I just know I'm going to have to remove it shortly, savour the memory of Parka sweat-drenched boogie without, cos there sure as hell ain't no way I want to feel second-best, ever...and right now, that's how this music makes me feel.