Diamond Nights: the city that never sleeps might just need a nap after these guys are done with it

Diamond Nights singer Morgan Phalen is about to drop off a U-Haul, having just returned with his band from their first trip through the U.S. He's exhausted and feeling a bit nostalgic now that the tour has ended. "The best part is right when you come off the stage," he says. "There's a bunch of fans who want to shake your hand and invite you over to their houses--that simple personal interaction is exciting." This is a fairly wide-eyed sentiment for a singer whose onstage swagger and keening falsetto have earned his band comparisons to everyone from Thin Lizzy to Billy Idol.

Although they've got all the attitude of Bowery-bred rock stars, the members of Diamond Nights moved to New York City just two years ago. It seems that was more than enough time, however, to collect an album's worth of debaucherous moments--the band is set to release their debut, Popsicle (Kemado), this month. Their fun-loving party anthems, which fuse classic-rock with driving, radio-friendly choruses, are earning them fans not just in New York: they recently shared the bill with metal bands like Black Sabbath and Anthrax at the Download Festival in England. "That was weird," Phalen admits. "We're this strange American band that plays hard-rock/metal/pop-rock, and they don't know how to receive us at all over there--but it was great. This is definitely how we want to live."

Sara Cardace is a New York-based writer.

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