We love the Gossip - find out why.

Based purely on the fashion magazine ubiquity of Beth Ditto the Gossip’s soulful singer (she recently nabbed covers for Love Magazine and Dazed and Confused) you’d be forgiven for thinking the Gossip, the dance-punk three-piece she fronts, were all style and no substance. You’d be hopelessly wrong.

Formed a decade ago in Olympia, Washington, the Gossip were heavily influenced by the DIY ethos, fearless activism and of course, visceral songwriting of the early nineties Riot Grrrl scene. It is this sense of activism that sets the Gossip apart from their cookie cutter contemporaries, because, well, they actually have something to say.

We recently caught up with the Gossip’s drummer Hannah Blilie to see what it’s like to attract praise from Karl Lagerfeld, have Kate Moss front-row and fight for your rights one chord at a time.

•Sportsgirl: The new album “Music for Men” has seen you featured on the covers of magazines worldwide, work with producer Rick Rubin and breakthrough to commercial radio did you ever dream of this level of success?

•Hannah Bilie: I feel like the process has been very gradual, we're not like this overnight sensation, the Gossip's been a band for 10 years now so every step that we've taken has been like a little step forward and things are getting a little bit more comfortable, the audience is getting a little bit bigger. We still feel like a normal family.

•SG: Since you guys have taken this big step up have there been any surreal moment where you have just had to pinch yourself and go "is this really happening?"

•HB: Yeah totally there's lots of them, like when the paparazzi follow you around and you feel like you're just this guy in this band and you're like “this is crazy"  Or when you're meeting celebrities or going to crazy high end fashion shows... I don't know there're too many things to describe.

•SG: You mentioned high end fashion shows and meeting celebrities. Does the Gossip have celebrity fans?

•HB: Yes..... We do.... It's weird. Everybody's always talking about 'Kate Moss and you' blah blah blah... We try to just like think of the celebrities  as people and not as a sensational thing to talk about. It is kind of fun to meet these people, but you know it's not the reason you're in a band. We do have those people coming around but we try to have real conversations with them rather than just sensationalizing their presence you know.

•SG: The Gossip has always had a focus on speaking up about issues such as feminism, same-sex marriage and body image can you tell us about how you deliver this through your music.

•HB: It's all about being outsiders and being proud of being outsiders. Coming up from the riot girl scene of the 90s and being inspired by bands like Huggy Bear and Bikini Kill but also Nirvana there is this idea that the bigger you get the further you can shout that message as well as talking about your influences and the bands that saved your life as an alienated person growing up. Being proud of who you are can save people's lives.

•SG: From a band that was outsiders for so long has Beth been suprised by how much she has been embraced by the media?

•HB: I think she's probably been surprised by that, because no one cared for so long. I think that people are refreshed by her confidence. People find that really inspiring and refreshing that somebody has some interesting things to talk about and it's not just all about being a Rock Star. Even if people hate her and write bad things about her it's the people who are inspired by her that we're trying to reach and trying to touch. 

Check out the Gossip's video for their new single Heavy Cross and if you like what you hear check out their new album Music for Men. 

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