“We’d like to do
this next one for
the children.”
Dandy of the Underground
Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes stages his own Victory Tour BY JOSH MODELL

In his final gesture before stepping offstage October 4 at Milwaukee’s gorgeous old Pabst Theater—yes, it’s named for the beer baron, and tallboys are $3—Kevin Barnes dropped what can only be described as “pageant face.” It’s that look little girls get when they’ve just discovered they

love being the center of attention yet are still charmingly unsure about it. It’s an odd gesture from a guy who’s fronted the increasingly popular Of Montreal for a decade—and who per - formed half a show in Las Vegas this year with his wang in the wind. Was it honest-to-goodness gratitude or just a smile of relief at finally achieving the absurd level of theatricality his songs deserve? Barnes emerged from the ranks of Athens, Georgia’s free-spirited Elephant 6 collective as the most outrageous of the bunch. If indie rock by definition shuns spectacle, Of Montreal left the genre in the dust long ago: This tour, dubbed “Gender Mutiny,” features costume changes, psychedelic animation, a winged guitar player, and a Michael Jackson– inspired, motion-sensitive illuminated

Destroyer? were all-encompassing under big lights. The disco bass of “Gronlandic Edit” turned a song about doubt into a cocksure anthem; “Suffer for Fashion” rang like New Order imagining an end-of-the-world dance party; and “She’s a Rejecter” alternated brilliantly between pissy and impish (“There’s the girl that left me bitter / Want to pay some other girl to just walk up to her and hit her”). If the studio is where Barnes affixes fancy names and allusions to his pains and desires, the stage is where he sets them free. Songs from in-development new album Skeletal Lamping had the kids up front—some dressed in tutus to honor the experience—bouncing with glee. “Exquisite Confessions” rubbed up against Prince’s silk pajamas, and “Softcore” took Pulp to places they should’ve gone but never did. Either could be a left-field hit with the right sonic dressing, and let’s hope they are: Imagine the extravaganza Barnes could pull off in an arena.

catwalk that would have Pavement devotees shuffling away, eyes averted.

For Barnes, it’s a dream made tangible, the perfect scenario for his smart, slinky, sexy tales of depression, joy, and the sparks that fly when they mix. At the Pabst he was a bona fide dandy in riding pants, strutting around what looked like a set from a ’70s Euro-pop chart show. Every-

It’s the perfect scenario
for his smart, slinky tales
of depression and joy.

thing fit perfectly, even the bulge-bearing too-short turquoise shorts and fishnets he donned midway through. (Fittingly, licensing a song to Outback Steakhouse probably helped him fund the display.)

Musically, Of Montreal had no trouble embracing the spectacle: Songs that felt a little claustrophobic on this year’s mostly fantastic Hissing Fauna, Are You the