of Montreal
Orlando, FL • Jan 16, 2015
Alexa Harris
An of Montreal show is definitely not your average concert. The only way to truly understand the kind of crazy that goes down when you get the freaky mastermind Kevin Barnes running the show is to see it for yourself.
Between the masked, winged creatures dancing around, the lucha libre conductor of the show, and the swirling-visuals monsters, you will feel you have entered a different, surreal dimension. At the center of the show is the fabulous Kevin Barnes.
The of Montreal lead singer started off the show wearing a velvet, green coat, no shirt, a pink neck scarf, and large women’s sunglasses. The bands upbeat, funky tunes got the crowd grooving in no time. The first song of the night, “Bassem Sabry,” immediately got everyone completely immersed in of Montreal’s beautiful, bizarre world. What you can expect from an of Montreal show is crazy costumes, psychedelic visuals, confetti, and the unexpected. This time around, there was a conductor of the show- brother of Kevin Barnes, David Barnes- dressed as a lucha libre wrestler. His arrival was always paired with an overly-happy interlude. He would then talk to the crowd as a whole as his ‘children’ and he’d talk about raising us all. He would then leave the stage and Kevin Barnes would enter yet again, in a new outfit.
The antics during the songs often included sinister, white-masked, winged creatures slowly moving around the stage. It also included, large projector pieces in the shapes of strange cat-like creatures and Cyclopes. Musically, the band was passionate and interesting. The songs all had an extra energy and livelihood to them when performed live. Comparatively, after hearing them live, the studio versions of their songs can sound somewhat flat (and I love the studio versions). Luckily for us, the band has promised us a live album this year, which I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on!
All in all, there’s no other experience quite like an of Montreal. This was my third time seeing them in the past two years, and I already can’t wait to see what they bring next time. Let your freak flag fly, of Montreal.
