I’d heard that Of Montreal involved theatrical elements in their live shows, but I never would have expected what was on show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
It was my first time at this venue, and I have to say I was pretty impressed – not too cavernous, but not too small either, with a nice back section with stacked seating, which provided a clear view to the stage.
Ah yes, the stage. The band had quite a set-up, with two drumkits (sometimes played simultaneously), keyboards, varying numbers of guitarists and bassists and of course, Kevin Barnes himself, who spent the entire night bounding around in a variety of costume changes, including a glittering blue jacket, pink bathrobe and, in a few cases, tiny shorts that no man with a sense of shame would be seen wearing.
But then again, shame isn’t really prominent at a Of Montreal show. If you’re here to look trendy and nonchalent, you may be wondering whether to laugh or enjoy yourself or not when there’s gold robots dancing around the stage, or several people in naked bodysuits (with replica gentilia) leaping around, or Barnes dressed as a centaur, or being covered in red paint, or emerging from a coffin smeared head to toe in what looks like shaving cream.
Add to that a a large video screen running edits of the band playing with cartoons, and a few set pieces, such as a short story involving a shoot out in a Wild West saloon, a hanging complete will full life size gallows, and a “scene” with soldiers crawling around the edge of the stage before breaking into dance, all of this going on around, and through, the songs.
The songs! I almost forgot. Blending a decent mix from their extensive back catalogue, with barely a break between them, the band played quite a bit from their most recent release, “Skeletal Lamping”, including a personal favourite of mine – the album’s opener “Nonpareil of Favor”.
After they finished their confetti and feather strewn main set, and after a man dressed in a black bodysuit with a parrot’s head and giant arms/wings worked up (and down) the crowd, the band returned to the stage, playing their last song of the night which was, somewhat strangely, a straight cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. It was interesting to see the band in a completely different light – without the acts and the dancing (well, there were still some people dancing) it offered a new view of the band.
So overall, after seeing the night’s performance I’ve found more of a respect for the band – they’re truly trying to give the ticket buyer a full-out show for their money, and in this day and age, that must mean something.
last song i heard – “i thought you said you were blind” – bearsuit
