Looking at Allan Boothe and hearing him sing are two completely different things. To see him, he's a tall, handsome guy with a goofy laugh and an affable manner, but to see him perform is to see a bundle of nerves. As Humble Cub, Boothe is buoyed by a bed of choppy, layered sound, which serves to carry his nerviness through into something resembling indie pop. But when he performs, all of the tics and eccentricities stand front and center. I remember very distinctly the first time I saw Boothe perform - stand on top of an amplifier on the opposite end of the room from the stage, so everyone had to turn and look. Standing aloft on a makeshift pedestal, he somehow felt even more isolated. 

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Oh Dear!, Not From Brooklyn, Belmont Whips, 8 p.m., no cover, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]