Gang Gang Dance, Of Montreal @ Electric Factory, Philadelphia
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For a Halloween show, I can’t think of two better bands to see than New York’s Gang Gang Dance and Georgia’s Of Montreal. A friend said to me, “Everyday is Halloween for Kevin Barnes” so it only seemed appropriate to check out the indie dance rockers on what could only be called their holy day.
The show kicked off with a very avant garde set from Gang Gang Dance. The band, of course, dressed up for the occasion, as did most of the crowd, and front woman Liz Bougatsos made the perfect Axl Rose, down to the headband and dreads. Her brilliance didn’t stop at her costume, oh no. The band killed a trancey, dancey set with echoing melodies, Afro and Caribbean beats, distorted vocals and lots of reverb.
The set was both fully orchestrated and an all out jam session. Certain points of the evening saw the band just go crazy on their instruments, creating nothing short of a clusterfuck of noise that the audience didn’t really know what to do with. It took only a short time before the crowd got over the sound’s initial awkwardness and got lost in the dope beats and heavy melodies. If you’re into exploring new musical landscapes, Gang Gang Dance is definitely a band you shouldn’t miss.
The main event came in the form of an extravagantly elaborate stage show put on by Of Montreal. 
Of every single concert I’ve seen in 2008, I’m pretty sure I can declare Of Montreal the most fun band ever. If their electronic pop and dance beats don’t you get moving (the entirety of the Electric Factory was, in fact, moving) their antics on stage will definitely win you over. Each member of the band wore a Superman costume (homegirl Dottie Alexander owned her Superwoman threads!) and front man Barnes was carried out onto stage by golden Buddhas who later danced around the stage and supported Barnes on their backs as he laid down across them.
The visual goodies didn’t stop there. Giant screens behind the stage offered some trippy scenes of the band in infrared and solarized while a cowboy poker game turned into a bar fight, ninjas taunted a pig (guy in pig mask, no animals were harmed!) before Batman stepped in to kick some ninja butt, Barnes came out dressed as the Pope with a sexy nun at his feet before he stripped down to almost nothing. Of Montreal brought an amazing show full of wonderful theatrics to the Electric Factory for a fantastic Halloween.
Gang Gang Dance: website | myspace
Of Montreal: website | myspace
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Filed under: concerts
Tags: axl rose, dottie alexander, electric factory, gang gang dance, halloween, Kevin Barnes, liz bougastos, Of Montreal, philadelphia, superman
