Mathew Houck, better known as Phosphorescent, came straight from Athens, Georgia to The Borderline in London carrying on the tour to promote his latest opus “Pride”, who earned Houck the gong for best Americana at this year’s Robers
We were curious to see how the choral magnificence of “Pride” was translated into a live set. It had to be stripped-down, but Phosphorescent showed an excellent vocal range (proving he’s not only another Will Oldham follower), that next to some pedal distortion and multiple layers of recordings added impact and versatility to his impeccable singer-songwriter manners.
He went through the whole of “Pride”, talking eventually to the audience telling some of his past experiences in London. Him recalling taking a Mickey and having a horrible experience was particularly funny. Among other surprises, a cover of “So far Away”, Dire Straits main single from their best selling and painfully popular album “Brothers In Arms”.
Jana Hunter, who guessed in the album’s recording sessions doing some backing vocals, was the deluxe support.
