Liberty Hall was home to high-pitched squeals and shrieks of delight on Wednesday night when Awolnation came to town. Yes, the audience was mainly comprised of (very) young women, but don’t write them off as dainty. They held their own and body surfed the night away.

There was also plenty of head-banging to be had as Awolnation’s Aaron Bruno divided his time between channeling the rock and roll spirit of Kurt Cobain and the dance moves of Mick Jagger. The band played chameleon, splitting their songs between aggressive, screamy numbers and then suddenly asking the audience to wrap their arms around each other while they crooned over slow ballads. In between songs, Bruno made sure to let the audience know which songs were for the ladies, and when he wanted “just the girls” in the audience to jump around.

The night belonged to the dames in charge. Mother Mother, a powerful indie rock group out of Canada, was fronted by a brother and sister duo who led the audience in danceable songs featuring exciting synth arrangements, but it was the women in the band who impressed the most. The versatile vixens could harmonize on backup vocals one minute, then suddenly take the lead while the frontman got busy on the guitar.

Blondfire, another sibling-based band, also featured smooth vocals but with a more relaxed and mellow tone. The indie pop band had some popular tunes to display and really enjoyed connecting with their fans, even pausing halfway through their set to photograph the crowd.

The entire night was an exciting adventure, but the most admirable part of the evening was how upbeat and pleasant the bands’ fans were. Awolnation and Mother Mother can rock out on stage all they want, but it’s their fans who really hold the show together with their positive attitudes. They were up for anything, and before the night was over they found themselves singing, dancing, and even thrashing together.