Glastonbury 2024: Watch Gossip perform ‘Standing in the Way of Control’
Taking to the Woodsies Stage on June 29th, Gossip showed Glastonbury Festival exactly what they’d been missing during the band’s hiatus as they performed ‘Standing in the Way of Control’.
The Beth Ditto-fronted band have enjoyed a renaissance since returning in 2023, and notably headlined the BBC 6 Music Festival in Manchester earlier this year alongside The Smile. Furthermore, their first album in 12 years, Real Power, arrived in April, and the Gossip were unwilling to get through their set exclusively on nostalgia.
After the group parted ways in 2016, Ditto set out on a solo career, releasing her debut album, Fake Power, in 2017. Elsewhere during this time, she also embarked upon a career in fashion, and delved into the world of acting.
However, despite Ditto’s interests outside of the Gossip, the band is her home. In 2019, they reconvened to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough album, Music for Men, which led to a celebratory world tour, reigniting interest in the group.
They then went their separate ways once again before a second reunion occurred, and this time round, the Gossip had new music to celebrate rather than living off past glories. Nevertheless, despite their latest album being well-responded to, ‘Standing in the Way of Control’, provided an unmatched euphoric moment at Worthy Farm.
Admittedly, going up against huge names such as Coldplay, Disclosure and Jessie Ware on other stages across Glastonbury dented their attendance but Gossip amassed a decent crowd to the Woodsies Stage, who were there to observe as Ditto issued a reminder of her talents.
The powerful protest anthem was written in defence of same-sex marriages, which weren’t legalised in the United States until 2015. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Ditto was appalled by President George W. Bush’s stance on the subject, and took it into her own hands by writing ‘Standing in the Way of Control’.
Ditto once explained of the song: “Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated. I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It’s a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting.”
On June 30th, Glastonbury is set to be headlined by SZA. Other acts performing include Burna Boy, Shania Twain, The National, Two Door Cinema Club, Avril Lavigne, Soft Play, James, Justice, Romy and Kim Gordon.
Watch Gossip performing ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ at Glastonbury Festival below.
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