Casiotone For The Painfully Alone / Clue to Kalo / Anthony Rochester

Andy J Ryan Apr 06, 2023

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Clue to Kalo, Anthony Rochester, Spectrum August 23rd 2007

Unfortunately a missed train meant that I jolly well missed part of Mr Rochester opening proceedings. Anthony is an utterly affable chap, just sporting a spiffing guitar and his invisible electrically provided backing band. The tunes were bright tales of awkwardness, worldly observations and tales delivered endearingly and oh so pleasantly, interspersed with pensive shuffling and not quite punchy banter between songs.

Clue to Kalo were a musical menagerie, songs played out in between a music instrument swap-meet. In their brisk set the band members variously used a piano accordion, a harmonica, all manner of guitars - both acoustic and electric, a vibraphone, a keyboard and numerous other musical trinkets, not to mention liberal doses of hand-claps. Almost like Architecture in Helsinki, but with a stricter recruitment policy. Apologetically offering that they were from Adelaide, the band sure won some new fans, the crowd buoyantly smiled along, nodding serenely and quietly impressed.
Then it was to Owen Ashworth, the chap who bills himself as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. Alone was one thing he was not this evening, with the few gaps in the crowd readily filled by the time he commenced. Unlike many bands (and for that matter occasional overly exuberant early morning punters) who have graced the stage at Spectrum, this was a set delivered without any fanfare, hype or nods towards fashion. After a few minutes tinkering, Ashworth set about his business.

A surprisingly tall feller, Ashworth comes across softly spoken and diminutive as he delivers his narratives hunched over and fiercely concentrating on his assorted electronic devices. The set largely featured songs from the latest Casiotone album “Etiquette”. It is his most expansive sounding album released thus far, with a wide array of instruments used in its recording, the songs still radiated live with just the basic rhythms and melodies Ashworth’s gadgets provided. Ashworth’s voice, a slightly world wearied drawl nestles above the simple instrumentation, with nothing further needed, for these are the tales of everyday disappointments and have no need for sugar coating. Each song a separate little story played out, his characters finding themselves in unremarkable, but relatible situations such as in New Year’s Kiss, which was delivered with a particularly morose poignancy.

Mid way through the set Ashworth was joined on stage by guest vocalist and “Etiquette” collaborator Jenn Herbison. While another personality on stage may have threatened to dominate proceedings, she remained distantly respectful of the songs, taking her spot on stage as if an obedient choir girl. Her comparatively cheery voice lightened the tone of the set with Hobby Hobby and an almost joyous Scattered Pearls, a curt handshake her reward as she left the stage.

Whilst Ashworth admits to being “The world’s biggest Smiths fan” it is not all bleak and sombre, there are many moments of great beauty and even humour, one wag in the crowd yelling out “I love your knob twiddling”.

Smiles seem to be the most common accessory amongst the audience. We are even treated to an encore as after finishing his set as Ashworth “Felt stupid just standing around back there”, an intriguing cover of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” popped up and we had witnessed rare and lovely evening indeed.