PIAF must be congratulated; Becks Music Box is truly one of the most fantastic ideas to pass through our windy city. The outdoor, open air setting combined with perfect layout that caters for all patrons is indicative of some of Perth’s creative leaders taking it upon themselves to rid the city of its dullsville tag. Couple the superb atmosphere with a world class calendar of artists scheduled to perform across the three weeks of local and international acts, it is a sure recipe for success.

Tonight Georgia/Norway based collective of Montreal brought their eclectic brand of pop cabaret to a sold out Box full of adoring fans and scenesters. Perth’s young hip and hot things came out in their indie best to see a man in a tiger mask and white tailed suit, prowl around the stage to give the evening a menacing start. With keys, guitar and two bass players the sound was rhythmic and funky, yet retained the odd-ball pop nature they are known for. Dressed in all manner of colourful attire, adorned with face paint, the group was site to behold. Bunny Ain’t No Kind Of Rider made an early appearance; before a red-robed bishop emerged to bless each member of the group before ripping off his robes to reveal a devil underneath who proceeded to roar with all venom possible at the engaged crowd.

Recent of Montreal LPs have centered around themes of suicide, depression and isolation and the characters appearing on stage added to the impact with religious and animalistic themes that were at times aggressive and other times reverent. Fan favourite Gronlandic Edit from 2007’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? was up next with its minimal funk stylings and 4/4 dance beat. The next character to appear on stage was a golden Buddha to accompany Cato As A Pun before a red-faced ninja chopped his way around the stage. A man in a pink leotard with a cosmetically enhanced trouser-snake posed for the crowd during She’s A Rejector which ended with a playful jam-out. The tiger-faced man, this time accompanied by an eel-faced superman returned and Suffer For Passion closed out the show.

A fantastic show at a fantastic venue, for another band, of Montreal’s visual characters may have come off as a little cheesy but tonight they celebrated all that music can be, engaging all senses to pull off a truly memorable show. Let us hope that the team behind the Music Box continues to push the creative boundaries of live music venues in Perth and bring fantastic acts like of Montreal to the west coast more frequently.