Gonzales

The Entertainist. The Worst MC. The tri-testicled genius that is Mr Chilly Gonzales played his last ever show in London last Sunday night. Drowned in Sound will be wearing deep mourning for the next year.

If you have never seen Ol’ Trilogy live then resign yourself to a lifetime of recriminations and regrets: you have missed your chance to see one of the most entertaining live events you would ever have experienced. Chilly G sure knows how to put on a show in a real “Hey Kids, let's do the show right here!” style, and DiS bets you will never ever again see a notoriously difficult London audience unashamedly, joyously employing ‘jazz hands’ as their dance move of choice.

These last shows are to promote Chilly’s final album ‘Z’, a record consisting of re-workings of songs from his incredible back catalogue as well as interpretations of his tracks by colleagues from the Kitty-Yo roster. Tonight these comrades are all out to help Chilly celebrate his retirement: Taylor Savvy, * Mocky, *Louie (is he still alive?) Austin, Peaches (do you think she knows her nipples are showing?) and Gonzales' long-term partner in rhyme (youch!) Fiest. Seeing all these artists together is a revelation: under Chilly’s guidance it is impossible for any of them to take themselves too seriously, so the normally frighteningly feminine Peaches struts around on eye-wateringly high shoes swinging her gold handbag with wild abandon, Mocky seems to wearing a plastic poncho of the type that are given out before you go on the log flume at Alton Towers, and they all dance in a circular congo of homage to the genius that is Chilly G. Incidently, is it just us, or does Taylor Savvy look increasingly like Gonzales? Could he be CG’s love child perhaps? Younger brother maybe? Or is Taylor employing chin putty in an attempt to emulate his idols chiselled handsomeness? Whatever, Taylor Savvy is one to watch…

Gonzales takes pains to remind the crowd that this is his last show. He really means it, it isn’t one of his pranks. And at first no-one quite believes it, but by the end when Chilly asks the lighting technician to put on the house lights, and requests that everyone leaves as he wants to be the last one in the theatre, it becomes clear that he is for real. Jason Beck may be back one day, but Chilly Gonzales is gone for good._ “The old Chilly never liked you anyway”_ he claimed after a version of ‘Take Me To Broadway’ so good it was like being punched in the stomach when it ended. Well, that’s a real shame Chilly, cos we sure loved you.