While Adam Stafford is pained by a sore throat tonight, his discomfort has no discernible impact on his performance; good thing too, since a lost voice would reduce much of his music to dead air. Larynx and loop pedal layer hoots and hollering over tongue clicks and self-harmonising, but while impressive, the results are difficult to fall in love with.
Owen Ashworth has no such problem, his introspective style naturally attracting devotion. But considering tonight’s significance (Ashworth shortly puts the Casiotone for the Painfully Alone moniker – and the songs written under it – out to pasture, making this their Scottish swansong) the half-full Captains Rest feels strangely subdued and reserved. Sad queries regarding his recording future are as emotional as it gets in an atmosphere of muted politeness.
Our quietness is rewarded with a set showcasing his lo-fi electronic melancholia at its best. The charm of songs like Young Shields bitter-sweetly underscores the disappointment their impending retirement will bring, but Ashworth isn’t about to reject his reputation absolutely. He promises to return under the guise of Advance Base, a name based on last year’s career-spanning compilation. With his rechristening reeking of continuity we leave reassured that, while Casiotone shuffles to the grave, Ashworth’s sharp talent lives on.
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