Samuel Herring might be the sweatiest frontman alive. Before main act Phantogram took the stage, the lead singer of Future Islands bounced, contorted and chest-thumped for every minute of the band’s opening set Saturday night at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood. Flanked by his two stone-like band mates, Gerrit Welmers on keyboard and William Cashion playing the bass, Herring’s energy was especially magnetic.
Going to see artists as electronic as Phantogram always scares me a bit — there’s no guarantee that the music will sound nearly as good live as it does on your stereo. Fortunately, my ears just needed time to adjust to the intensity of the music.
The New York-based electronic rock outfit is at its best with the speakers turned up. When songs like “Don’t Move” or “When I’m Small” crescendo, the result is a sort of sonic cornucopia. The discerning ear can make out Barthel’s voice, Josh Carter’s guitar and the individual beats therein.
From the teenagers next to the stage to the 21-and-over crowd near the bar, everyone was dancing. Every few songs Barthel interjected with a mouse-like “thank you” or introduced the next song. Phantogram released its fourth EP, “Phantogram,” on Sept. 30, and will soon release its second studio album, “Voices.”
The encore was a two-song history lesson of the band. The penultimate track was a new one, “Celebrating Nothing,” off of “Phantogram,” and the duo closed the show with “Futuristic Casket” from “Eyelid Movies,” its debut album released in 2009.
After 17 songs, the exhausted concertgoers filed onto South Broadway just before midnight. As I walked to the car, my ears continued to ring — going deaf has never been this much fun.
Contact CU Independent Photographer James Bradbury at James.bradbury@colorado.edu
