The quaint, dimly-lit theatre hums with the din of excited twenty-something banter and the crowded mass of general admission ticket holders groove along to the between-set recorded music (Destiny’s Child and TLC, oddly enough). After an intimate acoustic opener, unassuming band members disguised as roadies set up instruments and everything goes black. A pulsating drone accompanies the entrance of shadowed figures repeating “ooh oohs,” and at the command of a deafening, physically-felt kick drum and explosion of guitars, the lights come up to reveal stoic Tyler Heath and his irrepressibly joyful sister Maggie, the commanders of the band and the evening’s journey. The Oh Hellos have announced their presence. 

Anyone with negative preconceptions of folk music would likely have been surprised at how relentlessly exciting and joyous the show at the Ogden was. There were no mopey heartbreak songs, no out-of-key Southern accents, no depressed unshaven hipsters singing of their feelings. Despite the appearance of opening act Penny and Sparrow, a humble duo of only one guitar and two voices, their fun-loving nature was quickly revealed with a hilariously passionate cover of Usher’s “Nice and Slow.” Witty, self-deprecating humor continued throughout the set (they referred to their work as “blistering club bangers” and asked us to, uh… “clap erotically”), augmenting but never distracting from their gorgeous harmonies and inspired songwriting.

Remaining stereotypes about folk would have preceeded to be blown out of the “Bitter Water” with The Oh Hellos opening tune. With the sibling lead singers backed by two electric guitars, banjo, violin, accordion and two drummers, they pounded out their catchy, intricate, profound and hopeful songs with an energy normally thought of as reserved only for punk bands. The so-called emotional rollercoaster of a set included mostly songs from their new album “Dear Wormwood.” Well-known tracks like “Hello My Old Heart” and “Lay Me Down” were peppered in amongst musically adventurous highs such as the chaotic “Exeunt” and epic, plaintive lows in the vein of “Pale White Horse.”

Lightheartedness proved to be a hallmark of both bands, as Heath  made note of the band’s desire to go play Dungeons and Dragons afterwards. The complex nature of their music never managed to prevent them from having fun, made evident by violinist Matt Hagerman’s constant thrashing and dancing and coming to a head in their final song: piece by piece, the band members literally reassembled a drum kit in the middle of the audience, from where drummer and banjoist played the climatic finale. An encore of the stirringly beautiful “I Have Made Mistakes” and raucous “The Valley” put a cap on the night’s festivities.

Managing to be both unimaginably fun and inspiring, these two indie outfits put on a remarkable show. Be on the lookout for next time either of them come to Denver (or anywhere remotely near you, for that matter).