The Mean Fiddler, London
27 April 2003
I’ll be honest: I went for Peaches. Her 93ft East show last year was one of the most bacchanalian gig experiences I’ve had in recent years, a benevolent riot of loud, fired sexuality and abandon. But, truth be told, I’d really enjoyed the lyrical audacity / buffoonery of the few Gonzales tracks I’d heard. Someone summing themselves up as “a combination Joe Stalin-Woody Allen” has to be good for a laugh or two.
But right from the start of this so-called “Pre-retirement” tour show (“Is he or isn’t he?” seemed to be the theme, and perhaps purpose, of the tour title), we could see this wasn’t going to be some drunken orgy of fuzzed-up beats. One by one, the cast appeared: the “well-dressed” nu-vaudeville gentleman known as Taylor Savvy; the white-suited Vegas never-has-been, Louie Austen; and the Canadian foursome – Mocky (a smooth young rapper), Feist (an understated but impassioned singer-guitarist), Peaches (rightly the most lauded of the bunch), and Chilly Gonzales. On a bare stage, a large image of Gonzales as a backdrop, each singer took a mike for an acapella “The show’s about to start!” number.
The ironic showbiz angle – postmodern cabaret or lo-fi Las Vegas – persisted through the night. Of course, booming bass, funky Eighties Electronica, seventies sleaze, over-reaching but playful sentiment, Hip-Hop and Rap all played their parts too. It all unfurled quite haphazardly, as rather than the usual band-after-band approach, these collaborative solo artists each took their turns to do a number, take a break and chill with Chilly at the back of the stage, then dive in again for an ensemble bout of synchronised dancing. All naturally revolved around Gonzales and his apparent but hardly believed retirement plans. Thus the time-honoured Vegas tradition of fawning tributes and insincere dedications was drawn on and upturned by a bunch of mates who’ll take any excuse to entertain themselves and maybe some others too…
Peaches and Feist shone belting out a rousing Disco-style track, each stood boogeying on a stage extension in front of the main speakers. The others all contributed with gusto, Louie Austen happily crooning over his thumping backing tracks, Mocky and Taylor Savvy bouncing around in MC mode. But I never really took to Gonzales as a stage performer. He seemed to possess a definite charisma, but one which – for whatever reason – doesn’t project itself tremendously well on stage. Perhaps his eclecticism – singing, dancing, rapping, crooning, piano-playing and more – diffused any rapport he had with the audience. His final piano-based medley had me thinking of Prince‘s solo piano burst on the Lovesexy live video, but more in terms of trying to see where Gonzales might have absorbed inspiration than any real comparison (which would, let’s face it, be sacrilegious).
Finally, Gonzales held the stage alone, and asked a favour of the audience: could they all just leave while he’s sat on stage, so he can watch them go for the last time? My guess was that this was actually the purpose of the “Pre-retirement” title: at the very least, an excuse to get people to indulge him more than they normally might. So people left, slowly – “Is he going to do another one when half of us are gone?” A few people jumped on stage to hug him, and I heard some very happy people coming out of the venue. The audience never seemed to be rocked at all, though, and I left feeling curiously sober.
-Gyrus-
