As I love to celebrate (everything), this day served prolonged X's birthday, wee! Phosphorescent, who we last saw at Primavera Sound last year, was playing at a sold-out Debaser Medis; I'd arranged to meet Ida after work for a drink with X, but before leaving work I e-mailed Lyla Foy as a reply to a tweet of hers that mentioned a chance to win concert tickets. I won! Hell yes! Hence, I gave one of those to Ida and one to her friend Johan who could both join us. Brilliant!

Ida and I met at Mosebacke where she did her best canine mouth face:

And I've no idea why this unknown dude did a matador move but here you go:

So we later met X, had a little to eat and then hit the venue and the guy at the door looked for my name on the guest list, and as he said "I'm sorry, your name isn't on the list" and gave me a face that said please-go-away-quickly, I almost heard my heart starting to sink when the guy suddenly blurted "Oh! Here it is!" and found me. Yikes! Thank the Lawd!

All inside, we got some merch and went into the main room where I've never before felt heat attack me like that in Debaser Medis; I sweated like a pig. A roasting pig, probably. I felt everything pour from me and I was happy that we'd gotten some liquids before the gig.

Phosphorescent isn't a dancey outfit, or anything other than a band that focuses on the music. Matthew Houck is Phosphorescent, and basically seems to run the show. He doesn't at all seem like a James Brown dictator kind of band leader, but when he raises his guitar, that's a sign for the rest of the troupe to finish a song. They're a straight-forward bunch, which works to their advantage.

The lead guitarist - who played a mean slide guitar - handed out water and beer to people in the front rows as the band played. A few fast numbers in the start, then they slowed down and just played some non-distorted tracks.

Song for Zula by Phosphorescent on Grooveshark

Houck told the crowd that he hadn't played like this before during the tour, and then sat down and played a track on a synth, accompanied only by his own voice. It was lovely, with the crowd singing along. "You can sing anything you want during that part!", he happily shouted. People laughed and sang more. It was really nice, as though people united through music - oh, what one instrument and a single good track can do to you. The heat almost beat us, but thankfully we were handed water by the crew. Thank Bog! Deb Med even opened the side doors next to the stage to let some air in.

I Gotta Get Drunk by Phosphorescent on Grooveshark

I remember Houck and the lead guitarist best from the band. Houck's voice is so special and cuts like a tender knife, while the tracks mostly speak for themselves; I think most of them are basically "alternative" country rock tracks veiled with good lyrics and melodies that linger. I've never been a mad fan of Phosphorescent, but I get into their stuff when I listen to it, ever since X first tipped me about them all those years ago. And to me, there's no other band really like them.

The trip home was short and languorous, and as sweat stuck to my body, my ears rang a bit like a sonic diary entry and my mouth hurt from having laughed so much with friends. And with X in my arms as we delved homewards from the subway, this evening will be remembered as really sweet.