Phosphorescent, aka Matthew Houck, performed to a sold out Bowery Ballroom on April 18th. The show was opened by Strand of Oaks, already two albums into their career, and with a set as solid as their name connotes. Still the two-piece from Philadelphia could not reach the energy that was about to come from Houck with his five-piece backing band, including two keyboards. The crowd was entranced by Houck who masterfully, making it look almost too easy, moved through a setlist curated from his last three albums. With the full band the songs took on a different glow – a pleasant surprise as it seems many of today's live performances struggle to replicate that of the studio album, let alone go beyond it.
