The Verse’s Nel Manton previews Chilly Gonzales ahead of his show at Brighton Dome on 13th May 2019.
Chilly Gonzales, award-winning Canadian pianist, will grace the stage at Brighton Dome this May, as part of the 2019 Brighton Festival. As a budding pianist myself – although the extent of my ability is limited to a select few songs from Frozen and The Greatest Showman – Gonzales has been something of an inspiration. His attitude to the piano, likened to that of a rapper, is refreshing; his ardour for accessibility in music is obvious. The ‘Gonzervatory’ music school, a series of performance workshops open to musicians, self-taught or trained, to hone their musical skills and perform with Gonzales himself, saw success in its first year in 2018.
Prior to this, Gonzales was awarded a Grammy in 2013 for Album of the Year, referring to his work on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. In addition, he has collaborated with a number of artists, including Peaches, Jhene Aiko, Drake, and Jarvis Cocker. In 2009, he impressed by setting the world record for the longest solo-performance time, compiled over three hundred songs (the performance lasted 27 hours, 3 minutes, 44 seconds).
Gonzales will be supported by Sarah McCoy, American singer-songwriter, both of whom recorded album Blood Siren (2018). McCoy is described as
“An incredible power diva… a voice reminding of Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Tom Waits” – LES INROCKS
There’s no doubt that the two will impress.
