REVIEW: PHOSPHORESCENT AT BRISTOL THEKLA (30/05/11)
Phosphorescent arrived in Bristol, like me, fresh (or not) from a gig at Primavera Sound in Barcalona. I’d missed his early evening set on the Saturday of Primavera as I was nursing the first beer of the day at the apartment but I was safe in the knowledge I’d catch them at the Thekla on Monday so it was all good. It really was.
The band seemed thrilled to be back in an English speaking country and played to a surprisingly busy Thekla, considering they sit on the fringes of US Indie Folk. But then, frontman Matthew Houck has been performing as Phosphorescent for a decade now so maybe I’m just late to this party after first catching them at last year’s End of the Road festival.
Each member of the band is awesome in their own way. The metal looking keyboardist sporting a Police tee, head banging to some of the faster numbers added that rock dimension, while the hot bassist added the sheer style and charm to the set then there was the familiar looking guitarist who acted as the brooding pillar of the group and the spine of the whole set, the drummer. Saying that, for the most part all eyes were on the slightly awkward looking Houck, who hid his receding hairline beneath a white cap for much of the set.
Houck’s vocals sit somewhere between the high pitched fragility of Bon Iver and the haunting intimacy of Jason Molina. His understated delivery of such heartfelt lyrics as “Tell me where you’ve been and I’ll tell you where I’ve been and it will all be OK,” in A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise or “I’ll be studying the sadness in your beautiful limbs,” in My Dove My Lamb, follow the open Leonard Cohen approach to lyrics. One of the highlights of the gig came in the form of Wolves, a heart wrenching ballad and ode to such beautiful creatures with the line “On the hilltops at night, they are beautiful.”
There was a very US vibe to the set with songs such as It’s Hard To Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama), The Mermaid Parade and Los Angeles, which they ended on. Los Angeles was a compelling, soaring number which saw the boat swaying with contentment and excitement. A perfect end to the pleasant set. Oh and how could I forget the penultimate song of the gig? A surprising cover of Nick Cave’s beautifully underrated B-side Right Now I’m A Roaming, which Houck dubbed one of the best songs ever written. Agreed.
Words, photo and video: Laura Williams
