OF MONTREAL (London Koko, 16/10/08)

Of Montreal have never been exactly bastions of aesthetic conservatism, but Skeletal Lamping has seen them push forward their agenda of camptastic psychedelia with greater force than ever, as this extravaganza proudly stands testament to. The theatricality has been stepped up several notches. There’s now three back-up dancers, bedecked throughout in the night in a variety of weird and wonderful costumes- animal-headed men, golden monks and at one point a rather homoerotic satyr. But even if they tried, they couldn’t possibly upstage the centrepiece of this tableau of madness. Kevin Barnes has become a cross between Ziggy Stardust at Patrick Wolf at his most outrageous, a riot of flamboyance and colour, gyrating across the stage at one point with nowt but golden hotpants to hide his shame. He is a hero of our times, and I salute him.

And for the first time, the musical performance matches the theatrics in terms of quality. The most immediate improvement is the addition of a dedicated drummer, which strips the band of their detrimental reliance on drum machines. In the past, one could palpably feel the upward shift in energy levels when they got someone on the kit for the occasional song, and having full-time percussion really accentuates the vibrancy of the synths. Combine this with a sound-mix that finally does the bounce-about energy of the albums justice, and a more subtle using of backing tracks and you’ve got a set-up than finally does their genius justice. In fact, the first half of their set is in fact near faultless, with a perfect balance achieved between the more high-powered vignettes of Lamping, and classics like “She’s A Rejector”, “Heimdalsgate” and old-school favourite “Wraith Pinned To The Mist.” Unfortunately they can’t keep it up. They seriously lose momentum in the second half, the on-stage antics eclipsing the appeal of the setlist, which draws heavily from the more left-field moments of Skeletal Lamping. Ennui even starts to creep in, a catastrophe for an Of Montreal show, until they rally magnificently with a rapturously received (not least by me) “A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinir.” An encore of Gronlandic Edit followed by a bizarrely faithful cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” wrap up proceedings in a fittingly chaotic manner (I’ve not jumped so much at a gig all year), leaving the audience grinning like loons. It’s still not the classic show Of Montreal clearly have the ability to deliver- they need to enliven the second half, or failing that, play A Past Is A Grotesque Animal three times in a row but it’s still one of the most downright enjoyable shows I’ve been to this year.

(Photo: crazybobbles (Flickr))