December 03, 2003

The song or two I caught of Ella Guru were nice enough - the seated instrumental niceness of their sound brings to mind the latest incarnation of The Delgados, in fact. But before I can make up a true opinion, Joy Zipper are on, and to my huge disappointment, play almost nothing from the stunning American Whip. Unfortunately, the innocent sunkissed pop of their records falls flat in the cold, dark club setting. Perhaps Joy Zipper are the perfect festival band, but the ICA in December is definitely a no-go. Lucky for us then, that Hawksley Workman is a performer par excellence. He effortlessly moves from acoustic ballads to rock to cabaret to pianoed longing, all the while accepting flowers and adoration from the sellout crowd. His performances are ones that incite the firecest loyalty from first-time audiences, and he is NOT to be missed.