Sometimes you just know a show's going to fall apart. At Cornershop's highly anticipated Hollywood Athletic Club appearance, astute listeners might have noticed the unbalanced sound mix, which sharply favored the high end, giving the opening numbers, "Sleep on the Left Side" and "Brimful of Asha" a small, tinny sound. Others were probably tipped off by singer Tjinder Singh's grim nervousness, or his skittish, sideways glances. But everyone knew something was up when an especially loud sample during "What Is Happening?" sent drummer Nick Simms running offstage, his mouth contorted like the figure from Edvard Munch's "The Scream." It was hard to miss the implications: Cornershop was in meltdown.

\\Not that Singh was telling. With his band in disarray, he simply sat on the drum riser looking annoyed, not saying a word. For someone whose songs project an infectious love of music, he presented an austere, dour figure onstage, determined not to enjoy himself even when the band's combination of electronica production, Velvet Underground drone and Indian psychedelia was working as intended.

\\That seemed to be the case when Cornershop returned from their ten minute break forced on them by technical problems playing "7:20 a.m. Jullandar Shere." The five-piece band bit down on the song's undulating groove and wouldn't let go, sending massive waves of spellbinding sound washing over the audience. At its best, Cornershop's music is hypnotic and physical; their sitars and tambouras mesh with the percussive drone pulsing below. Simms was especially impressive, navigating the shifting rhythms of raga without ever losing the backbeat.

\\But even this failed to placate Singh. About 10 minutes after their unintended break, he put down his guitar, pulled on his jacket and walked off stage without so much as a word to the crowd or his bandmates. Apparently unsure what was going on, Cornershop kept playing for another few minutes, then finished the song and followed him. Especially since the group had barely played 35 minutes, those in the packed house were left wondering what hit them. Even though their performance got off to a troubled start, Cornershop looked as though they were going to salvage a potentially disastrous show. Instead, they simply self-destructed.\\\