Last Thursday, Bowery Ballroom hosted one of the best new bands of the year: GIVERS. Endorsed by the Dirty Projectors for their brand of highly danceable, bayou indie rock, GIVERS brought their A-game to the stage. Along with them came Caddywhompus, also from Louisiana, and LA-based  Pepper Rabbit. Caddywhompus impressed from the beginning with their energy and incredible percussion. Considering they were only able to occupy a small portion of the stage, they owned the area and sounded enormous. Pepper Rabbit, a recent favorite of ours, were also striking with their layered, thick, hi-fi sound.

The crowd roared as soon as the final Louisiana-based band took the stage and launched into “Saw You First”. Having listened to their debut album, I was ready for the live experience to be one that bubbled-over with raucous energy. Right from the get-go, GIVERS delivered. “Saw You First” had all the layered sunshine found on the album, and, what’s more, the band experimented with the song, elongating or changing instrumental sections and transitions, a trend that would continue throughout the night. Another stand-out moment during the set was “Meantime” when co-frontpeople Tif Lamson and Taylor Guarisco belted their harmonies with a kind of wild abandon that I haven’t seen in a live band in ages.

Throughout the night, GIVERS surprised me with their willingness to expand upon their own material and the sonic territory they tried to cover (which was a lot). Halfway through the set they attempted a slower ballad, which didn’t get the crowd response as other, high-energy moments in their set. Despite this, however, Tif Lamson carried the end of the tune with her wailing, beautifully hoarse voice.

Finally, they ended the night with crowd favorite “Up Up Up.” It was here, that GIVERS were at their best. Joyfully, wild and electrically powerful, it was here when everyone in the room knew what GIVERS were all about: musical joy that is impossible to deny.