of Montreal – Live at The Zoo, Brisbane

Having seen videos, read reviews and heard several notorious rumours, Album of The Week was very excited about seeing Of Montreal live in concert for the very first time. Kevin Barnes, the main man behind the wild hybrid art-pop/funk/disco sound, is definitely some kind of musical genius. He is the band’s composer, lyricist, engineer, mixer and producer – so I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell his eccentric musical love-child, Of Montreal, would transform from my tape deck to the stage... Cut to the most outrageously entertaining show I’ve ever seen on The Zoo stage.
After his five superbly dressed musicians took to the stage, Mr Barnes emerged from the wings resplendent in draped Eastern fabrics, Jesus sandals and a full face of makeup: “I am a hippie God” said he. Onstage he is a mesmerising presence, and the dude has one hell of a set of lungs on him. Combining the psychedelic imagery from video projections, a dynamic light show, and several guest characters that joined the band on stage at various moments, the show was a complete sensory experience. The aforementioned guest characters included a roaring tiger in a pastel three-piece suit, a sinister ninja, a fat golden Buddha, a leotard-wearing cross-dresser with a crotch full of fruit, and a drum kit bashing brontosaurus. The band performed a selection of tracks from two most recent albums Skeletal Lamping (2008) and Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (2007), as well as some older songs. The reproduction of Barnes’ songs into the live format was flawless - courtesy of the awesome musicianship of the band and a very complicated technical system. Set highlights included ‘Suffer for Fashion’, ‘She’s a Rejector’, ‘Non Pareil of Favour’ and ‘Id Engager’, as well as Kevin Barnes’ costume change with an inbuilt smoke machine, and the terrifying/hilarious duet between the tiger and the brontosaurus.
So now we have finally seen them live and our verdict: freaking spectacular.









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