Matthew Houck, aka Phosphorescent, has a voice that sounds like a blend of Will Johnson’s rasp, Roy Orbison’s haunting tenor, and, most notably, Rick Danko’s agony-filled wail (the line between The Band’s It Makes No Difference to Song for Zula is crystal clear). Even when he and his band are playing a rollicking, groove-heavy song like The Quotidian Beasts, Houck’s voice sounds like it’s on the precipice of breaking. But melancholy doesn’t have to be depressing, as Tuesday night’s show at the Vogue made clear. For 75 minutes, Phosphorescent struck the balance between craft and entertainment, delivering a satisfying live performance.
Houck and company relied heavily on 2013′s terrific Muchacho, interspersing the set with a couple of tracks from previous releases. It was a solid crowd at the Vogue, especially for a frigid Tuesday night. But the venue warmed up quickly and Houck tossed aside his Raylan Givins-esque white hat just a few songs into the performance.
Though the performance was spot-on from the start, the clear highlights of the evening came toward the end of the night when the band played the glorious Song for Zula followed by a tight, ass-shaking Ride On/Right On. That duo set the stage for Houck to close out the main set solo, during which he unveiled an emotional My Dove, My Lamb from 2007′s Pride.
New York’s Caveman opened the show with a 35 minute set pulling largely from their self-titled 2013 release. Though I had enjoyed what I’d heard from them prior to the show, I was especially impressed by the way they elevated the material live. The hooks were sharper and lead singer Matthew Iwanusa’s vocals had a lot more passion and pop. Listening, I kept thinking a synth-ier Shins but less mannered. And while a lot of band’s use extra percussion as a crutch, Caveman did a nice job of keeping their multiple drum kits in line with the songs. Really fun.
Did you make it to the Vogue Tuesday night? What were your impressions?