Casxio at Spaceland (4/23/2009)

I had pretty high expectations for this show, but didn't know exactly what to expect. Casxio exceeded all of my expectations.

I walked in at the middle of The Nights' set. They sounded pretty good, but had a bit of a strange style to them. Oh Darling was up next, and they had the crowd up close and in front before they played a single note. I'm not sure if their live sets add much to their recorded output, but it was enjoyable enough.

The night, of course, belonged to Casxio. This band is an absolute treasure (especially singer/bassist Lucas Guerin). They painted a permanent smile on my face for the duration of their set. Whether it was the choreographed head moves, the seriously done (but utterly ridiculous) covers, or Guerin, bearded and obviously not a teenager, singing in falsetto "Only seventeen / but my love is for real," this is a band to watch, and to watch live. And that's not even mentioning their music, appropriately self-described as "religious funk." Add that to the list, too.

Casxio has won me over for good, and I won't be missing another show of theirs. How can you explain, in words, a band come out for an encore (an encore at Spaceland?) with the singer proclaiming in a deep, serious voice "Now you're going to get it, [fuckers or bitches--I can't recall which]," proceed to play a cover (and not a funk-ified cover) of Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares," and walk off the stage to nothing but applause? Incredible.

Videos (I'll be going back to HD quality; just wanted to try out HQ)

Video clip of Casxio covering Britney Spears' "Gimme More:"



Clip of Oh Darling performing "Just Love Anyway"



The Nights