Live Review

Chilly Gonzales – Capstone Theatre, Liverpool

• 11th Feb 2011

Tonight’s an unconventional show by all respects of the word. Of course it’d be worth mentioning the film “Ivory Tower” which bears the same name as his latest album but this is a music review and not a film review. It’d be like going to Tesco’s to get coke, only to dissapointingly return with Pepsi.

In the charmingly alluring Capstone Theatre, it looks to be a quite sophisticated show. Lone grand piano. Check. Blanket of fluorescent blue light. Check. A strangeness permeating from Gonzales’ unusual attire of a bathrobe and slippers. Check. But for those who know Gonzales, you’ll know he doesn’t do charmingly conventional. He’s charming but in an eccentric, viagra overloaded Hugh Heffner kind of way(in a good way of course).

Gonzales’ is many things. He’s an entertainer. He’s a comedian. He’s Paul Daniels hypnotically tempting the crowd in wih his slick, mystical piano hands and tonight certainly shows.

Alex James once said: “A cover song is like someone taking your dog out and coming back wih a new one.” Gonzales feels the same sentiment as he hilariously takes a stab at Drake who did the same to him. But look past the humour and you’ll know 2011 is the year to take Gonzales seriously. The use of “Never Stop” on recent iPad adverts certainly shows this and not one to leave out this fact, Gonzales replays the song using the Apple product itself as it all funkily wanders heavily like the beats bounicing nonchalantly around aclub lounge. The man does take himself a little too seriously however as at times, it feels more like a piano concerto at the Royal Albert Hall (His 27 hour record breaking piano solo is something worth knowing about).

He finishes the night off with a tongue in cheek innuendo, literally getting inside his piano as he sounds of his bongos ricket across, all the while, being accompanied by a mini Eminem dancing out of his voice box. Let’s just hope this man never stops what he’s doing.