You know that feeling when the bass hits you and like an explosion it spreads from the depths of your stomach throughout your body to your very fingertips? It makes your skin tingle like warm sunrays do, and you can’t help but smile. That’s how Phantogram opened their set on October 10th at Marathon Music Works in Nashville.
The electro-psych-rock duo consisting of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter received a record deal in 2009 and released their first album Eyelid Movies that same year. It was followed by the EP Nightlife in 2011 and most recently their self-titled EP Phantogram, which was released in September 2013. The band announced on stage that they will likely release their second album early next year and treated the audience to an unreleased song from said album, joking that they weren’t supposed to play it just yet, but loved the Nashville crowd so much that they couldn’t hold back.
Not only was their sound absolutely fantastic, they also delivered an incredible light show, with beams dancing low over the crowd and lighting effects that made the entire stage and band appear in black and white at times. Barthel danced across the stage like a true rock queen, enjoying every minute of that show just as much as the audience.
The band closed their show with their two hit singles “When I’m Small” and “Mouthful of Diamonds,” painting ear-to-ear smiles on everyone in the crowd. Even my die-hard southern-rock friend, who I imagined would feel quite out of his element at that show, was enamored with the electricity Barthel radiated and has not stopped talking about this performance laced with such powerful talent since that day.
