Live Review

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone – Luminaire, London

• 9th Nov 2010

It is testament to the loyalty of his fanbase that American, film school drop out, Owen Ashworth can draw a sell out crowd to darkest Kilburn on the night of a tube strike.

However, as this is the final tour of ‘Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’, the guise he has assumed for the past 13 years and the last opportunity to see the astonishing output released under this name, it is hardly surprising Casio loners from all over the city surface from a transportationless city to see this spectacle.

Considering that some of the songs are now hitting the age of puberty they are reinterpreted with daisy fresh vigour. New Years Kiss in particular benefits from enhanced distorted noise giving a much more foreboding story than the minor tale of festive mishaps the recorded version describes.

Humorous between song banter adds to the whole experience. To first time listeners the lyrics weren’t crystal clear so the subtleties of meaning may have been missed. However, there were a great many dedicated people mouthing each word for the unfamiliar.

Ever the crowd pleaser, he actually demands requests between songs, most of which are fulfilled, pleased too at making the fans happy in a fun, retrospective on his musical career to date.

So captivated was I, despite his frequent warning on the transport situation, I don’t think I was the only one you missed the last train home ensuing a terrible tubeless commute. But it was well worth it.