of Montreal at le Poisson Rouge

Georgie Fruit aka Kevin Barnes

Seeking suitable band mates to fulfill his off-kilter musical ideas, Kevin Barnes left his native Athens, Georgia, moved south to Florida and north to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Cleveland, Ohio, and eventually recruited from the local music scene and its Elephant 6 collective back home. Barnes founded of Montreal as an indie solo project in 1996. Allegedly, the name was inspired by a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal." Over time, of Montreal's music evolved from low-fidelity twee pop to math pop to psychedelic to glitter rock to classic rock to funk; of Montreal currently is inspired by extended dance remixes of the 1980s. of Montreal has recorded 14 studio albums; the most recent album, White is Relic/Irrealis Mood, was released on March 9, 2018.

Performing as part of le Poisson Rouge's 10th anniversary celebration, of Montreal's latest production was once again over the top, led by Barnes' colorful alter ego, Georgie Fruit, whom Barnes conceived to be a person in his 40s who performed in a funk band in the 1970s and has undergone multiple gender transitions. Fruit performed in five different drag outfits, accompanied musically by keyboardist Jojo Glidewell, keyboardist/guitarist Bennett Dean Lewis, bassist Davey Pierce, and drummer Clayton Rychlik. In addition, costumed dancers, larger-than-life puppets and a stash of props offered scenarios that included sea-creatures, sequined dragons, and Mexican wrestlers. The set included quirky songs from several of of Montreal's better-selling albums, while the newer songs were thumping synthesizer dance songs that matched Barnes' obtuse, angular musical leanings to body-moving elements from the disco era. The lyrics to many of the selected songs endorsed sex positive messages and were performed dynamically with in-your-face forcefulness. Overall, of Montreal's concert provided escapism to the maximum degree.

Visit of Montreal at www.ofmontreal.net.

Setlist:

1. Id Engager
2. Paranoiac Intervals / Body Dysmorphia
3. Plastis Wafer
4. Hydra Fancies
5. We Will Commit Wolf Murder
6. Dour Percentage
7. Writing the Circles / Orgone Tropics
8. Sex Karma
9. If You Talk To Symbol / Hostility Voyeur
10. Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)
11. Sophie Calle Private Game / Every Person Is a Pussy, Every Pussy Is a Star!
12. A Sport and a Pastime
13. It's Different for Girls
14. Gronlandic Edit
15. Gallery Piece
16. Let's Relate

Encore:

1. Soft Music / Juno Portraits of the Jovian Sky
2. Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider