Gustavo de la Cruz performs acoustic three-song set on the Noisy Cavern

Gustavo de la Cruz delivered a stripped-down three-song acoustic set at Orangewood Studios, and yes, it was an intimate experience! His weaving of beautifully textured guitar lines strummed with precision landed fluidly, only complimenting his classic, weathered raspy vocals. The set felt lived-in, honest and timeless.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and the quiet exhale after NAMM's controlled chaos had settled in. No rehearsal, no resets, just three acoustic songs captured in sequence. One could sense that whatever polish might have been planned for the session had been left behind somewhere between Anaheim and the drive to the studio. And what remained was intention without affectation.

The guitar playing was raw but articulate, with ringing chords and gently bruised rhythms. It was an ubiquitous call to the champs of 90's British rock, with their pastoral restraint and sense of unguardedness. De la Cruz offered immediacy, and that is a change from the obsession with refinement, captured as it happened.

De la Cruz' performance felt more like a document rather than a product, a fleeting Sunday moment, unrepeatable and better for it! Give this man a follow and a listen.