Of Montreal brought their trademark blend of theatrical spectacle and genre-defying indie rock to the Alabama Music Box on Dauphin Street in Mobile in December 2012, treating a packed crowd to an electrifying 17-song set that rivaled their acclaimed Soul Kitchen appearance the previous year.
A Stage Full of Color and Character
Frontman Kevin Barnes took the stage in a plaid dress paired with cutoff jean shorts, his shoulder-length hair swept dramatically to one side in what seemed a deliberate expression of the gender fluidity that has long informed Of Montreal’s art. Guitarist Bryan Poole, also known by his solo moniker B.P. Helium, matched the energy in an all-white sequined outfit complete with a shimmering cape and rainbow afro wig, bouncing exuberantly in front of drummer Clayton Rychlik throughout the evening.
Keyboardist Dottie Alexander took a more understated approach to her wardrobe but more than compensated with her playing, layering psychedelic organ textures drenched in chorus and delay effects that gave the band’s sound an otherworldly depth.
Deep Cuts and Fan Favorites
The setlist drew generously from across Of Montreal’s extensive discography. The evening opened with “Requiem for O.M.M.2” from the fan-favorite album The Sunlandic Twins, setting the tone for a night that would span nearly the band’s entire catalog.
The seminal 2007 album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? dominated the set with six selections, including “Cato as Pun,” “Gronlandic Edit,” and “A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger.” The encore consisted entirely of tracks from that record: “Suffer for Fashion,” “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse,” and “She’s a Rejector.”
False Priest was also well represented with extended renditions of “Hydra Fancies,” “You Do Mutilate?,” “Godly Intersex,” and “Enemy Gene.” From the then-current release Daughter of Cloud, the band performed “Georgie’s Lament” and a crowd-pleasing take on “Sails, Hermaphroditic,” which drew an enthusiastic response with its memorable, irreverent chorus.
Skeletal Lamping contributed “Plastis Wafers,” “Women’s Studies Victims,” and “St. Exquisite’s Confessions” to round out the deep-catalog selections.
Art Meets Performance
True to form, Of Montreal’s visual production was as ambitious as their music. Rainbow patterns projected across the stage bathed the musicians in shifting kaleidoscopic color, while screens displayed psychedelic shapes that dissolved into candy-colored patterns reminiscent of 1970s wallpaper.
Midway through the show, masked cabaret performers emerged within a large amoeba-like fabric structure, their hands stretching and distorting the white material from inside to create the unsettling impression of creatures struggling to break free. Later, a towering figure topped with a cheerful sugar skull appeared on stage, its billowing parachute-like body serving as a screen for a projected sun image that shifted colors as the character circled among the band members.
The finale saw air cannons blast feathers into the dancing crowd, coating the walls and floor of the venue in fuzzy white plumage. Concertgoers who spilled out onto Dauphin Street afterward wore the feathers as badges of honor, marking themselves to fellow bargoers as survivors of another unforgettable Of Montreal experience.