LS&Co. Unzipped

Aug 18 2010

Chilly in London

Sometimes you can submerge yourself in London culture. Sometimes you need an escape. Tucked away, last night, inside the bare-bricked surroundings of Levi’s flagship store, pianist, singer and entertainer, Chilly Gonzalez provided just that– a place to get away.

With the buzz of Regent Street just a glass door away, Gonzales, dressed in bathrobe and slippers, took to the intimate stage and threw down an immediate gauntlet to the ten acts still to play over the coming two weeks.

Hunched over his Baldwin piano, Chilly soothed into a jazz-flecked instrumental, breaking any expectations of a traditional Levi’s gig and defining The Craft of Music project in two minutes of melodic, dynamic beauty.

The second track, “Dot,” captured much of the same spirit but perhaps tipped its cap to a more progressive direction saved for the remainder of the show. Built around a classical solo, it floated with finesse before upping tempo with the boom of various foot stomps and the drive of heavy fingered ivory slapping.

In a further act of variation, Gonzales switches from soft-jazz troubadour, to spoken-word rap artist. “Never Stop Rap,” a retort on corporate culture set perfectly, he says, in the church of capitalism. It’s a perfect foil to his virtuoso villain veneer -- a front he exudes throughout the hilarious Q and A session with the captivated crowd hanging from his every cutting word.

Inviting London singer songwriter, CocknBullKid to the stage for the finale, Chilly informs the crowd that the pair has worked together before. He needn’t have. The chemistry between the two is palpable. And after the spine-tingling bloom of “Happy Birthday,” the shows set highlights arrive back to back in the shape of two classic covers: First, Destiny’s Child’s "Bills Bills Bills," and, then, the stunning, late 90’s dance anthem, “Touch Me,” which grows with intensifying euphoria in a climactic epilogue for one of today’s true, modern pioneers.

Here's a video of the first performance, and below you'll see some great images:

LEVI'S CRAFT OF MUSIC - CHILLY GONZALES AND COCKNBULLKID from LEVI'S UK on Vimeo.

Here's the video of Lissie's Thursday night performance:

LEVI'S CRAFT OF MUSIC - LISSIE from LEVI'S UK on Vimeo.

Editor’s note: Levi’s® and Clash Magazine have teamed up to bring to a series of intimate performances and Q+A sessions to our London flagship on Regent Street. Learn more and apply for tickets here. See images from the first concert below.

Posted By: Dan Wade, Levi's® UK Employee and Music Fan
	Tags: Art,Levi's®,Levi's®

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