Gonzo’s Big Night In
June 11th - Written by Ellis Brown
Leopard print carpet, rich red walls, and a large disco ball gently casting light over the smokey eye shadow patrons; welcome to Gonzo’s, a recording studio in the heart of East Village, NYC, which has recently been rebranded as an event space. On this night, the 8th of May, we lay witness to an epic meeting of various esoteric names, both on stage and in the crowd, all curated by Cormac McGoldrick McGrath aka @nerv.mcg.
The stacked lineup included:
Just after buying drinks, the conversation is cut by a sharp blast on a trumpet, played by Jazz Lambaux, slithering slowly through the sea of faces, staccato melodies laying a runway on which Skjold Rambow cartwheels down. Words can’t do justice to the undulating and twisting choreography on display, animalistic in nature, entrancing the crowd like a snake charmer. All eyes watch intently as Skjold hoists themselves up onto the bar, gazing out to the horizon through a small telescope, and weaving a soliloquy equally as naval in nature. Simultaneously, Charlie Osborne slinks between guests, photos flashing from her iPhone, which is caught by the disco ball and thrown back onto the walls in a sequined array. As the first act draws to a close, Skjold is dragged away by the ankles, clawing at the floor, the lights dim, and smoke fills the stage.
Archie Taylor is up next, performing under his new moniker of Born Weekend backed by pumping beats and dressed in a velvety mix of punchy yet horny feeling lyrics. The crowd are amped up by the 90s NYC sleeze and begin a ritual of gyrating hips and sleek rolling bodies. It is refreshing to see movement at an independent gig, something slightly rarer in the UK with the domination of club nights taking up venue space. You could chalk this up to this being a limited transatlantic crossover of names, bringing a new bounce to the already established nightlife of both countries. It’s interesting to see how many people in New York turned up for a mostly British lineup, a combination of exotic appeal, playful aesthetics and connections made in the city by the promoters.
One person known to most of the NYC party scene was on next, bridging the interlude between Archie and Charlie, in the form of Meg Yates (Megsuperstarprincess). Some may know her from her YouTube documentary ‘F List’, whereas others will have met her at events or followed her on Instagram for many years, all routes leading to the mingling of fans sitting in front of her tonight. She is giving a reading from her new work ‘OpiateCrisisLookbook’ which presents as an extremely intimate stream of consciousness, exploring pain, pleasure, addiction, relationships and hope. The majority of the crowd start with their backs turned to her, but as her words flow and she breaks the 4th wall, calling them out, a close circle forms, filming on their cracked phones. Behind her weave of words is a tambourine punctuating her points on “Shein Saddam Hussain” and “Iowa, I.O.W.A, I only want amphetamines” with every beat, adding to this ‘new age jazz bar’ vibe.
The progression of the evening feels very much like a play, different acts with different characters but underlying motifs, harmonicas, white face paint, flashing cameras, etc. The evolution of this flourishes in Charlie Osborne's performance. She is poised on a wooden shelf, with cutout nooks below her, and a harmonica held deftly in her right hand. As she sits up, puppet-like, a story plays out, intertwining her and Skjold's characters as they crouch under the stage, reciting romantic segments from a multitude of movies, reaching out for each other. The backing track floats above the crowd, heady and reverb-soaked, slowly becoming unnerving and jaunty, echoing carnival rides. As the switch happens, they both arise and embark on a synchronised dance, beaming smiles over their faces, rhythmic movements lay way to stabbing motions, violent and gleeful. The pantomime has been turned on its head, a rollercoaster you may wish to get off, but cannot tear yourself away from the thrill. As this winds down, Charlie produces a bittersweet rendition of ‘Stuck in a rut’ off [Finding Melody : Part 2], accented by her harmonica screams, while a cake and candles are produced from backstage. The crowd falls silent as the candles are blown out, and an eruption of applause follows.
The green room is filled with a spattering of familiar London faces, other creative names, fellow musicians, and close friends of the performers, all laughing and digging into the aforementioned cake. The next act, Leo aka Worldpeace DMT, is warming up on his acoustic guitar, squashed between a mountain of people on the tiny sofa in the corner. His set is a departure from what those in the UK will be used to, as it is solo, but the dichotomy of the electronic backing track with the live guitar gives it a very raw emotional undertone.
Like any event, the smoking area is a melting pot for connections, and this is no different. With it being ‘Art Basel’, there is a rotating flow of painters, stylists, and photographers from all over the world. Among them were Hannah Taurins, a fine artist who recently worked with Kiko Kostadinov on paintings for the SS25 womenswear, close friend of BlackPepper, Luca Wowczyna, whose studio was featured in Column 4 and UK musician Florence Sinclair, who had played a show a few days before.
Overall, the night is one of wonder, excitement, thrills and friends, all wrapped in a polkadot blanket and tied with a big red bow. An adaptation of this line-up is performing tomorrow at The Lexington in London, be sure to be there, it’s not one to miss!
