Quick review: Gossip + Austra

I went to Velodrom for the first time the other night. What a building in architectual terms! Darn impressive. The bill featured Gossip and Austra - a mighty double bill I was not going to miss for the world.

It was exciting to see Austra perform on such a large stage, in this type of surrounding. And it was heartwarming to witness the fantastic reception they were getting. Gossip fans are not your typical indie music supporters and I was weary of how they may treat our Canadian starlets. But all was well. Austra gave a sterling performance, as always may I add, and the crowd understood and cheered them on. The new Austra songs are definitely a little more mellow, but with that voice she could be doing sea shanties and it would be amazing.

Gossip did what Gossip do. I was a fan from day one and have never ceased to be one. Their songs are so well-written, their energy is always positive, they have the most kick-ass drummer if I ever knew one, and Beth Ditto is Beth Ditto, one of the best entertainers of our era. I know I may sound a little over the top here, but I honestly believe that Gossip have an entertaining quality of past times that you don't find often in modern bands. They are modern but they know what their audience want and they give it to them, all the while staying true to their ideals. And really, short of Lady Gaga, not many big acts support gay rights and change people's perception on gender issues the way that Gossip do.

I did feel the audience was incredibly reserved compared to past Gossip gigs I have been to (as in 5 past gigs). They sure made Beth work for her money - she was cracking jokes, animating the audience, singing her heart out. It may have been the people that showed up and it may just have been the venue, too. As grand as it is architectually (and oh I do want to go watch the cycling there!), the lighting and set-up make it very un-fun.

Anyhoo, what an experience over all. I even, unexpectedly, met some friends in the huge bowl of Velodrom. A trip.

Review: Gossip

Years ago, my friend and I were asked to take care of a threepiece from Minneapolis that was playing Ladyfest in London. They were aquaintances of our friend and on their first trip to Europe. They needed companions to keep them company. Needless to say, the two ladies and one gentleman were lovely people and fun to hang out with (though the gentleman was slightly smelly from not showering or changing his clothes the entire tour). We had a good time. However, the group's performance was the really amazing thing about that evening. We had gone primarily to see Bangs, whose KRS mailorder 7" had become one of my favourites at the time, but after the show I was a Gossip convert. The sound was so different, the energy insane with Beth Ditto standing there in a bra only shouting abuse at the NME for slagging off Missy Elliott. The Gossip were very punky then, had a different drummer, hadn't found their trademark sound and look yet. But Beth Ditto's voice was already Beth Ditto's voice, the willingness to provoke was already there and the audience was already in awe of what they saw. These were stars in the making.

Since then, I have seen (The) Gossip perform at Gebäude 9 in Cologne, at Astra and at Columbiahalle. Earlier this week, I added Berghain to the list. Given that the last time this trio played Berlin they sold out Zitadelle Spandau, I felt almost privileged to be given the opportunity to see Gossip at the relatively cosy venue of Berghain. Yum. And indeed my hopes were met when there was no security gap between audience and band, when you could actually see and hear Beth even when she wasn't talking into the microphone, and when the band recognised several of their close friends in the audience. This was a personal, cosy concert for a privileged "few".

Of course, what's a "few" to supergroup Gossip? This gig had been sold out weeks in advance, if not months. The place was packed. Maybe I'm getting old but über-sold out concerts make me feel uncomfortable these days. I like a bit of space to hang out and dance. I just don't enjoy myself the same way when someone is bumping into me every couple of seconds, when tall bears of men push in right in front of me so that I definitely cannot see a thing and when the odour of the room resembles that of the monkey cage at the zoo. I have to like a band an aweful lot to ingnore the madness and the idiots around me (sorry, but Gossip have an odd audience of people who are extremely bored in their everyday lives and this is the one "crazy" thing that they do and they f**king get out of hand).