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Written by Aaron Brummet Thursday, 31 August 2006 05:41

From the moment they began their (literal) march to the stage, wielding flags with upside down smiley faces and declarations such as "Dead," mastermind Kevin Barnes' vaudeville carnival had the crowd's interest.

 

The Pageant, St. Louis

All the regulars were in place outside Mississippi Nights, waiting for the doors to open. A guy asking for handouts. Another selling magazines. Kids talking about their trendy new pirating conquests and who they were representing on MySpace. It was a fitting hodgepodge of fans for the offbeat pairing of performers preparing to take the stage.

The Minders kicked off the show in front of the relatively quiet crowd, who seemed to give them the dreaded "it's not that we don't like you, but we came for your friends" reaction. Lefty-guitar leader Martyn Leaper and his bandmates put on a solid show nonetheless, highlighted by a few extended rock groove sessions and band members occasionally alternating instruments between songs. Though stylistically comparable to headliner Of Montreal's earlier work, the band included hints of surf, southern, and jam rock at different points of their set. Drummer Joel Burrows was excellent, the band showed obvious talent, and although the mix gave Leaper's vocals a bit of a Billie Joe Armstrong sound, the crowd seemed generally won over by their performance

This night, however, clearly belonged to Of Montreal. From the moment they began their (literal) march to the stage, wielding flags with upside down smiley faces and declarations such as "Dead," mastermind Kevin Barnes' vaudeville carnival had the crowd's interest. The attire alone commanded attention. Among the five band members (including four males) were two skirts, a dress, a double-layered facemask, a palette of oft-clashing bright colors, a sword, and a furry Russian hat. The initial reaction consisted of sly grins and confused head turns, but once the music started, the charismatic Barnes (referred to as "your leader" by second-in-command Bryan Poole) took control

Early songs such as "Wrath Pinned to the Mist" and "I Was Never Young" got the ladies in the audience moving. Initially, this seemed like the kind of show where girls dance with each other because their guys won't dance with them. Then the band jumped in to "Requiem for O.M.M.2." I looked, and the guys were starting to dance. Sure it was mostly the robot, but they were moving. The band played "Old People in the Cemetery," showcasing their affinity for gloomy lyrics over bouncy beats. Employees of the venue were now dancing. They played "Oslo in the Summertime," which included fun vocal altering. The creepy, bearded giant was dancing. So was the roadie who looked like an escaped inmate.

Then they went for the kill. "Disconnect the Dots," the kickoff from Satanic Panic in the Attic, drew the night's loudest cheer. I looked, and everyone was dancing. "I like dancing with people when they don't know it!" announced one exited fan.

By this point, the crowd was so involved that even Barnes' awkward midriff-showing shirt (one of three costume changes) stopped bothering them. "We like music played by everybody...except Lutherans!" Barnes joked before launching into the encore of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," which blended seamlessly into the set and delighted the crowd as the show winded down.

Call them what you will: The Beatles meets disco. Franz Ferdinand on the happy plant. A dance-rock circus freak show. The fact of the matter is, Of Montreal was around before the craze, and if this night was any indication, they will definitely be around after it.

See Todd Owyoung's photo gallery