Ross Clark @ Nice 'n' Sleazy

If anyone in attendance at Ross Clark's Valentine's gig tonight is hoping for some respite from the throng of Cupid's love–struck, rose-clinching hordes, they chose the wrong musician. Clark's songs are laced with romance and all the agony encompassing it. Hopeless Romantic, a stand-out tune, is a testimony to his inextricably love-ridden music, capped with the line "someone take this heart away I'm gonna break it." While that may not be hard to come by, such delivery is. From under a mop of curls, the troubadour belts out his musings with passion and fury. His tightly worn six-string has no choice but to succumb, literally hanging on by a thread. Although various musicians join in for several numbers, it's obvious that Clark makes just as much impact, if not more, on his own. His lilting yelps and his frenzied plucking are captivating without accompaniment. [Sara Nowak]