Not so long ago, the status of women in music was at an all-time low, but in recent years we seem to have turned a corner.
This is in no small part down to Beth Ditto, the reigning Coolest Person Alive (by NME decree) and a frontwoman of glorious size.
When she decided to strip off for its cover she knew the picture would have the music world talking with an image that was attention-getting but certainly not obscene. Ditto knows she can knock 'em dead because hers is the kind of body that is so often kept hidden.
Stripping has become part of her stage act; she regularly exposes herself to a adoring fans while onstage, and often while singing from the audience. Her intention is to force acceptance of her body type, 5ft tall and 15 stone, and by this strategy to challenge the conventional imagery of women.
Ditto has also caused controversy for being open about her sexuality, and not holding back when it comes to discussing fellow musicians.
Gossip have opened for bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, Mates of State, and somewhat oddly for the Scissor Sisters last year, but Ditto complained that she disliked performing for an audience who didn't “know their Ramones”.
The group's hit song Standing in the Way of Control was written by Ditto as a response to the United States government’s decision to deny gay people the right to marriage.
“Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated,” she has said. “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.”
Gossip at The Carling Academy Liverpool, Monday July 9