October 28–November 4, 1999

six pick

Robyn Hitchcock

It’s been 17 years since ex-Soft Boys Robyn Hitchcock and Kimberley Rew played together on an American stage. Even Rew’s appearance on Hitchcock’s latest Jewels for Sophia (Warner Bros.) couldn’t have prepared fans for the news that the two are touring together again. (Rew even skipped out on the Soft Boys reunion.) Hitchcock, who’s been bandless since he broke up the Egyptians in ’93, says he’s using the current tour as "a career retrospective," drawing songs from every page of his absinthe-spattered songbook. There’s nothing wrong with the winding intros which preface every song of Hitchcock’s solo sets, but it will be nice to see Hitchcock and band (which also includes Tim Keegan) get down to business, proving he’s as much a pop craftsman as psychedelic prophet. Just don’t expect this new lineup to turn permanent: "Being in a band," Hitchcock says, "isn’t suitable for people over 40."

—Sam Adams

Fri., Oct. 29, The Upstage, 22 S. Third St. (above Wichita), 215-627-4825.