Live music review: Of Montreal sold-out Radio East for 20th anniversary of The Sunlandic Twins album

There comes a time in every music fan’s life, when the band or musical artist who they once viewed as hip and innovative, suddenly becomes seen as a nostalgic act. Which might be hard to argue when said band, of Montreal, founded by Kevin Barnes in 1996, is now celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of their most seminal and popular albums, The Sunlandic Twins with an ongoing tour. While it has never been my favorite album, (Satanic Panic in the Attic or Hissing Fauna and Are You The Destroyer both vie for that honor),  I’ve rarely missed one of the art rockers live shows. There was no way I was going to pass up a chance to enjoy this 2oth anniversary celebration with new and old fans for what turned out to be a sold out show at Radio East on July 16.

In December of last year, Of Montreal played the much larger festival stage at Radio East for a two day event called Holiday Hootenanny, which also featured acts like Danny Brown, Water From Your Eyes, Health, and Voxtrot among others. Bandleader, Kevin Barnes and his current touring members, along with various costumed dancers put on a show that greatly benefited from the expanded space. So it was a little disheartening to find out they would not be playing the bigger stage for this tour, either due to low ticket sales, the Texas heat or some other factor I didn’t want to fathom. Had one of my favorite bands finally reached the saturation point with its audience? More importantly, How were they going to fit everyone and their props on a much smaller stage? 

Originally this was only going to be a photo assignment for me, but my writer had to bow out due to family concerns. So now I was faced with not only trying to take photos but also writing about the show, a little more daunting task, since writing is not something I’m as comfortable with doing. How am I doing so far?

So it was on a warm and muggy summer night, in the middle the week, that I arrived early, the sounds of one of the local opening bands, Cormae, going through their soundcheck, greeting me as I entered the venue. After getting some dinner at one of the nearby food trucks, I strolled around the grounds, occasionally stopping to talk to people I knew and even had the opportunity to meet, Matt Dulaney, a fellow photographer. 

As I moved toward the stage, I spent some time visiting with Andrew Cashen, a singer and musician well known for several popular local bands, who happened to be working at the venue that night. His hardcore band, Tear Dungeon was about to go out on another tour and he told me about some a new merchandise they would be unveiling that could be potentially troublesome.  As Cashen is a guy who often puts himself in dangerous situations, the story seemed par for the course. It was almost time for the first band to start, so I made my way to the front before the area around the stage became completely packed. 

Cormae, a five-piece, garage rock, super group made up of members of other Austin bands, took the stage at around 9 p.m. and quickly proved why they’re one of Austin’s funniest new acts. Their youthful exuberance and catchy punk tunes like “Satisfactory Life Survivor” and “Hipsters in <3” showcased why they were the perfect band to open for of Montreal. High kicking onstage or dancing amongst the audience, Ambi Mi, the lead singer, quickly won over the audience and got them into the party spirit. Donning a shaggy purple horned cap, she and her band ended their short set with a punked out rendition of “Purple People Eater”. As I have gotten to know and become friends with Ambi, I know how special this opening slot was to her and was happy to hear later that Kevin and his brother, David really enjoyed her band’s performance. 

They were soon followed by the majestic glam, western stylings of Pelvis Wrestley, another amazing local act, who might have brought the energy level down a smidgen but throughly engaged the audience with the passionate singing of Benjamin Violet and his crack team of stellar musicians. Songs like “Horse Dreams”. “Lily”, or “Keep on Running” often began slowly but soon built to powerful crescendos that were simply breathtaking. I find that the group’s  confessional lyrics and playful metaphors share a lot similarities with those of Kevin Barnes at his most introspective.
In my opinion, this is a band that deserves more attention and eventually should be playing sold out shows at places like The Paramount or ACL Live. In between one of their songs, It did not go unnoticed, that a sly reference was made to an old Outback Steakhouse commercial that repurposed one of the headliner’s songs from the album being performed that night. Ouch!

The moment of truth soon arrived, maybe a little later than scheduled, but my previous concerns were soon alleviated once the band bounded upon the stage and I saw that the place was packed to capacity with fans ready to dance and sing along to their favorite Of Montreal tunes. Barnes and his current touring band; Clayton Rychlik (Drums), Jojo Glidewell (keys), and Ross Brand (bass), proceeded to play the entirety of their milestone album from beginning to end while psychedelic imagery was projected upon them throughout the show. This aspect of the performance was interesting because they ended up playing some lesser known songs from the album that aren’t usually done live, like “ Our Spring is Sweet Not Fleeting”, “ Knight Rider”  which are both instrumentals and “Death of a Shade of a Hue “. 

One of the highlights of any of Montreal live show is the surreal and phantasmagorical costumes and props worn and operated by David Barnes and several stage performers. Due to the smaller stage, these duties had to be  scaled down to only two, David and Elizabeth Wheeler, who handled this task with unwavering dexterity. While I am a fan of Kevin’s music, I am also a fan of his brother, David’s art and how it has it’s been incorporated into the live show to create something that is fresh and unique every time I see it. 

By the time the band gets to the album’s final song, “ The Repudiated Immortals”, I am suddenly hit with the realization that the show is almost done and I’m not ready for it to be over. Thankfully, after a brief moment, the band returns to the stage, greeted with rapturous applause from an audience who, like myself are hungry for more. They open with a non-album track, “Keep Sending Me Black Fireworks”, which is sung by Wheeler. Next, they do two songs from Satanic Panic in the Attic, “Lysergic  Bliss” and “ My British Tour Diary”. Another non-album track follows, “Everyday Feels like Sunday”. Of Montreal finish up with one of their best songs, IMHO, “Suffer For Fashion” from Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? As always, I am left wanting more but I can’t say I wasn’t happy with what I got that evening. Despite my initial reservations, the show was still up to its usual level of fun and spectacle.

Reflecting upon the nostalgic nature of this particular tour, while I would agree that it was fun to revisit this album in a live setting, I don’t think this should be seen as a desperate measure by a band trying to pander to their fan base because they have reached the end of their relevance, but rather a way to reconnect with their audience over an album that marked a special time in their career. Much like David Bowie, Kate Bush or Prince, two musical artists often cited as key influences, Kevin Barnes is an ever evolving artist, who continues to explore and experiment with different musical styles and genres, never comprising his personal vision to appeal to the mainstream. It is this aspect of their music that makes them an always interesting band. The Sunlandic Twins album may have brought them a bigger audience but it wasn’t the end of their artistic journey, one that promises to keep surprising us in the future.

All photos by Troy Gonzales

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