Of Montreal
March 30th, 2007
Studio A
Miami, FL
By Rafael Sangiovanni
There’s really nothing quite like watching Of Montreal perform live. It’s bizarre, sweaty and hypersexual, but more than that, it is an experience. As a case in point, the Georgia-based band’s recent stop at Studio A showcased them at their best and their strangest.
After a tame (by comparison anyway) introduction by an amazing Swedish band called Loney, Dear, the members of Of Montreal slowly trickled onto the stage. There was an air of anticipation about what antics were about to transpire. At last year’s show held at the Polish-American Club, singer Kevin Barnes donned a wedding dress and married the audience. This time around, the androgynous front man took the stage looking like a Harajuku Girl. That was before he stripped down to his black and red underwear and thigh high stockings. Not to be outdone, guitarist Bryan Poole appeared dressed as an angel, complete with angelic makeup and large wings.
Their show played out like live abstract art, complete with a screen full of psychedelic colors and freaky cartoons as well as orgasmic screeching from Barnes, who is really one of the liveliest front men I’ve ever seen. In addition, there was a general attitude of experimental nonchalance. At one point Barnes strapped on a giant lobster arm. At another, a man dressed as a fencer came out screaming and dancing with a sword. He later reappeared as a three-headed tiger-looking…thing.
The band’s 70s psychedelic electronica sounded decent as they played through a round of fun, left-of-center songs like “Climb The Ladder” and “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse.” But honestly the music took sort of a backseat to the madness on the stage. In the end however, this isn’t such a bad thing, because if there’s one thing Of Montreal’s got plenty of, it’s a deranged and sickeningly sexy sense of creativity.
Email Rafael your thoughts: outloud@outloud.com
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