When: 7.30pm on Thursday 29 January 2009
Where: Club Academy, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PR

We’re delighted to present of Montreal‘s first visit to Manchester since June 2007, when they played an unforgettable sold-out show for us at the Roadhouse! Since then, they’ve performed with a real life horse in New York, which kind of puts the step-ladder-and-hotpants spectacle we got in the shade, doesn’t it?

This time round, however, we’ve got them extra large stage to handle their musical theatrics (including dedicated dancers and two drummers, we hear).

Want to know a bit more about the band? Well of Montreal formed in 1997 in Athens, Georgia and are fronted by Kevin Barnes, second cousin of A Hawk and a Hacksaw’s Jeremy Barnes. They were among the second wave of groups to emerge from the Elephant 6 Recording Company, which also spawned the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo and Elf Power.

It’s hard to label of Montreal as their style changes from album to album – but try indie-pop and psychedelic music, mixed together with elements of vaudeville, music hall, afrobeat, funk, reggae and krautrock. Their long-players now number over a dozen, on labels such as Kindercore, Earworm, Polyvinyl and Track & Field.

Support for this show comes from Norwegian electro-pop band Casiokids, who should appeal to fans of Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, YACHT and Simian.

This is a co-promotion with Pineapple Folk.

Tickets from Ticketline.co.uk, SeeTickets.com, Zavvi in the Arndale Centre, Ticketline Box Office in St John’s Centre, Liverpool, and on 0161 832 1111. You can also buy them at the Manchester University Student Union with no booking fee at all.