North Coast Music Festival 2011, Sunday: of Montreal

Kevin Barnes, singer for Georgia-founded group of Montreal, waited for the rest of his band to take its place before making a delayed, and dramatic, entrance. The wild frontman sported purple tights, white short-shorts, a purple shirt covered in a white blazer, not to mention lipstick and eye shadow. Musically and presentation-wise, of Montreal does not hold back. The outfit's set packed in maximum fun amidst upbeat glam-rock and funk numbers in the molds of Bowie and Prince.

And then there were the back-up dancers. On “Wraith Pinned to the Mist,” the band sang “Let’s pretend we don’t exist/Let’s pretend we’re in Antarctica” while a crew of spandex-clad dancers wearing paper maché skull masks prowled the stage. The seven-piece band included two keyboardists, and auxiliary percussionist and a laptop/effects guy in addition to the regular guitar, bass, and drums. Even with all those moving pieces, the arrangements never sounded overly complicated, and the unit created a tight sound. While the band laid down taut funk and afro-soul grooves, Barnes sang sexually explicit ditties about “doing it both ways.” At one point Barnes disappeared back stage only to reappear moments later riding a contraption akin to a Chinese parade dragon, manned by four sturdy dancers. It was par for the course for anyone who'd experienced Barnes & Co. in a live setting, but lively nonetheless. Altogether, this set from veterans of many a Chicago music fest had a wonderful and celebratory carnival sideshow atmosphere, with the tunes serving as the main, but not the only, attraction.