Typical of a 1920s vaudeville stage turned music venue, The Orpheum’s grand box seats and intricate wall designs are reminiscent of Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was assassinated. Although there were no daring acrobatics by an anarchist president-slayer on Thursday night, the Local Natives brought their own brand of theatrics and passion to the stage.

Local Natives are a Los Angeles-based band who fall under the category of indie rock, and they rock live. They have two LPs out now, Gorilla Manor and Hummingbird, the latter of which was released in January 2013. Their recorded material is marked by vocals that tend to linger near falsetto and groovy guitar riffs checked by loud and defined percussion. Their vocals are perhaps what make them most distinct among the ranks of other indie performers who prefer a higher pitch, such as Passion Pit, Temper Trap and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Their biggest distinction among these artists is that many of their songs feature a three-part harmony from the bassist, keyboardist and guitarist. This adds texture and more of a live sound when listening at home. The harmony also makes for more powerful vocalization; nothing like Alicia Keys’ emotionally driven exploration of the vocal range, Local Natives’ vocalization is much more of the rock ‘n’ roll ilk. Many of their popular songs, like “Breakers,” the single off Hummingbird, is marked with an “oooooh” and “aaaaah”-filled refrain that prompts even the most timid listener to belt it back.

At the show, the energy of the room was much greater than what you would expect from two indie bands, but both Wild Nothing, the opener, and Local Natives translated their music well to the stage. In attire, Wild Nothing was everything you’d expect from indie: pointed mustaches, trendy flat bills and cardigan sweaters. But in performance they turned the bass up and jammed out on the synthesizer. They adapted their alternative grooves to be more conducive to the stage and the audience approved, dancing and singing along to songs like “A Dancing Shell,” which weaves moments of heavy guitar with light melodies and far-out vocals. It was an energetic performance, but came with little dramatic frills, in great contrast of what was to follow.

Local Natives entered onto smoke filled and blue-lit stage. They started with “Breakers,” and the crowd erupted in approval. There was no lack of artistic flare throughout the show, with each member of the band playing various instruments; many tambourines were played and even a gourd made an appearance. Despite the vogue status of falsetto singers today, the band’s live vocals were brought down a few notches on the vocal scale, which was much more palatable for the audience. The band rocked out to every song, dancing and head banging. The crowd matched their intensity by swaying to the more mellow rhythms and jumping to the upbeat ones. Local Natives showcased their versatility by playing music from both Gorilla Manor, which is marked by a more playful tone, and Hummingbird, which is mostly heavier. They also covered a Talking Heads’ song and finished the last set before busting out a stripped-down, acoustic encore.

Before the encore, the guitarist explained that pre-show apocalyptic rain nearly threatened the performance as some of it had leaked onto the stage. Thankfully the Orpheum recovered for a truly historic performance.