Of Montreal are actually not from Montreal, but that’s the least shocking thing about them.
Of Montreal are also not a band comprised of leotard-clad men in farm animal masks, but anyone who watched them take the stage at the 9:30 club on Thursday, Jan. 28 could have been fooled. In what their set list referred to as “Animal Intro,” the psychedelic, synth-pop, gender-bending rockers entered to a frenzied audience after being introduced by what appeared to be a man-pig on the drums, a man-chicken on guitar and a three-piece-suit-wearing tiger screaming into the microphone. Let there be no mistake: Of Montreal are not just a show, they’re a spectacle.
It’s not that they need to be; it’s just that they are. Hailing from the same Elephant 6 collective that produced true ‘90s indie greatness like Neutral Milk Hotel and Beulah, Of Montreal are by no means short on talent. The band, led by perfectly butch/femme frontman Kevin Barnes, have released one album nearly every year since 1997, and each work takes listeners through an epic experimental sojourn laced with escapist tendencies, hopping bass lines, surprisingly introspective lyrics and a flamboyance that results from what could only be blaring confidence — or insanity.
The band’s 9:30 set spanned the entirety of their lengthy career, but focused largely on their latest album, 2008’s “Skeletal Lamping.” “St. Exquisite’s Confessions” was theatrical, disturbing and vindicating all at once, which one could suppose was to be expected of any song that began with the line, “I’m so sick of sucking the dick of this cruel, cruel city.” The sultry guitar intro and the song’s unique brand of angst were overshadowed by a political statement against the Catholic Church, which of course to Of Montreal consisted of a man dressed as a priest relentlessly attempting to touch a man dressed presumably as a little boy in an outer-space onesie before being retaliated against and beaten by the heavily-eyelinered Barnes and the pajama-ed man-child.
The theatrics continued in “Metal Finds Troll,” which seemed to be part song, part spoken word comedy routine about a crazy man and a beta fish. “Oslo in the Summertime” was released from its dirty, cadenced nonchalance and transformed into a frenetic, rave-like trance with no lights except for those that spotlighted men in tiny, flesh-colored underwear flexing, slow-motion fighting and lustily biting into apples.
“She’s a Rejecter” was Of Montreal’s grand finale from 2007’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?” As yet another gang of leotard-wearing men wheeled a massive wooden apparatus onto the stage, the five-piece band blared out their rock-pop shout-along closer, which concluded with keyboardist Dottie Alexander seizing control of Barnes’ guitar, as the singer climbed onto their giant prop only to be mock-crucified and carried off the stage by — you guessed it — men in leotards.
Usually an on-stage crucifixion would be considered a downer, but as Barnes has performed several similar stunts — including staging his own hanging — the audience couldn’t do anything but raucously demand an encore-slash-resurrection. And as we all know, nothing brings a lead singer back from the dead quite like a cheering crowd guided by an angry tiger making obscene hand gestures at other farm animals.
And because there’s no encore like a shirtless encore, Of Montreal returned to the stage with Barnes half-stripped (presumably from the crucifixion) but still wearing his polka-dotted headscarf and skin-tight pink skinny jeans. The first song was “For Our Elegant Caste,” a reprise from “Skeletal Lamping,” but the true highlight was the band’s tribute to whom Barnes referred to as the “incredible, special” Michael Jackson in their cover of “I Want You Back.” Although the cover featured little variation from the original, Barnes’ falsetto served as the perfect pre-pubescent Jackson impression, as the band busted out the vintage party jam to end the night.
Unapologetically fanatical, somewhat offensive and always unpredictable, it is no surprise that Of Montreal have had such longevity and draws such rowdy and enthusiastic crowds to each show. Anyone who missed out on the festivities can hope for another tour coming up soon, as their new album, “False Priest/The Controller Sphere,” drops in September of this year.
You can reach this staff writer at kcasino@theeagleonline.com.
