1 Comment Written by Ed Servoice on March 17, 2009 – 9:18 pm

Sheeeeeit, Of Montreal totally kicked ass at Hi Fi with a weird and wonderful display of their unique brand of indie-pop madness. Since the release of  2007’s rollicking and blissful pop album Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer (if you dont have this album, get it now it’s ridiculously good) Of Montreal have reemerged from their folk-twee chrysalis into full blown glammed up indie-pop butterflies. Front man Kevin Barnes has also transformed into his alter ego; cross dressing, transsexual, African-American man ‘Georgie Fruit’, continuing the transformation in 2008’s schizophrenic and brilliant Skeletal Lamping and into their live shows bringing strange but splendid (ohhhhhh yeaaa, gotta love the alliteration) theatre and overt sexuality into their performances.

Yes, and bring it they did… Performing mostly songs from their two latest albums, Of Montreal whipped the usually too cool hipster crowd into giggling, rapturous psych-pop fiends with sublime, energetic renditions of their songs in a show focused on something missing from a lot of gigs these days; simple fun and dancing in an unadulterated  fashion. Of Montreal delivered an almost never ending wave of sound, jumping seamlessly through melodies, rhythms, and songs. Personal highlights of the night being a heavy, punked up She’s a Rejector and a sprawling Beware Our Nubile Miscreants.

With a cast of characters (basically mates dressed up in weird animal suits) coming off and on the stage, enacting the often sexually charged themes of the various songs it was impossible not to laugh along and have a great time with the band. Of Montreal do have some work to do to perfect their newly found pop lord identity, songs and act live (namely tightening up the whole shebang as it can get wonderfully messy at times) but the direction where they’re going (Kevin Barnes is metamorphosising into the 21st Century’s Ziggy Stardust) is fantastic.  Sure they would have turned off and freaked some out with their attempts at trying something new, weird and different but heck, I dig it and cant wait to see what they pull out next… And all for 40 bucks! Ssssssswhatimtalginabout!