It's arguable that Of Montreal haven't been able to hit the heights of their output from the turn of the century but they come to London showcasing their 13th album and hit the majority of the right notes.
It helps that the band's new LP 'Aureate Gloom' seems very similar to one of those more popular albums, at least musically. 'Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?' almost seems like a companion piece in some ways and more linear and focused in others.
Much of that is down to the live set up of course, reports of Of Montreal gigs in the past ranged from the sublime to the shambolic but the current touring group seems to have more of a focus to deliver a slick set without the need to rely on beautiful accidental onstage chaos as they may have relied on previous years.
There is something about Barnes when he sings tracks from this new album. There are major hints towards a Bowie glam rock lothario there but with Barnes' own unique stamp.
'Bassem Sabry' and 'Empyrean Abattoir' are two such tracks that provide him with the platform to showcase this side to his personality. In songs wrapped in melancholy, there is a showman in Barnes driving them with all the passion and sincerity that captures the room and has large swathes of the crowd on board as much for the newbies as the (relatively) popular hits.
For those not as au fait with the entire Of Montreal discography it's the moments from those two albums, the previously mentioned Hissing Fauna… and 'Satanic Panic In The Attic' that hit the sweet spot in terms of nostalgic value and kaleidoscopic victory. 'Suffer for Fashion', 'She's a Rejector' and epic spiralling gig closer 'The Past is a Grotesque Animal' keep this writer happy while the more discerning fans who make up the crux of the crowd show no sign of letting there enjoyment diminish at any point during the entire set.
FUTURE GIGS
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