While electropop performances from CHVRCHES and FRENSHIP took on the biggest ground stages, West Coast rockstars Young the Giant made their return to the Summerfest grounds at Henry Maier Festival Park.

The Miller Lite Oasis stage saw a series of synth and electropop performances Tuesday night as FRENSHIP and CHVRCHES made their way to the Big Gig. FRENSHIP, the electronic duo based out of Los Angeles, first made waves with their mega-hit “Capsized,” released in 2016.

The two put their abilities as dynamic musicians on display as they switched between guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Frequent dance breaks kept the crowd engaged as the duo performed a setlist filled with catchy melodies and pulsating rhythms.

After roughly one hour, FRENSHIP was replaced on stage with the anticipated headliner, CHVRCHES. The Scottish synth pop trio, lead by lead singer Lauren Mayberry, brought an entertaining and spirited set to the Miller Lite Oasis stage.

Opening with one of their biggest hits, “Get Out”, CHVRCHES captivated and energized the audience instantly. Mayberry was seldom stationary, as she twirled around the stage, fully immersed in each song. CHVRCHES’ 75 minute set concluded with their smash hit “The Mother We Share” and “Never Say Die”, leaving the audience with smiles on their faces as they headed home.

When Los Angeles based Young the Giant took on the Uline Warehouse Stage, the beautiful venue appeared a little cramped for the crowd supporting the band.

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That didn’t stop lead singer Sameer Gadhia along with Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtois (drums) from coming out to an eager crowd that had been waiting since before COIN finished performing just an hour prior. 

Gadhia walked around in a golden beige trench coat, singing along to “Something to Believe in” off their third album, Home of the Strange. With the band known for “My Body,” which was released in 2010, some may have been skeptical whether the lead vocalist was still worth the hype from the smash hit. 

Gadhia’s clean falsettos shut those doubts up swiftly. The underrated singer barely took breaths between verses when he wasn’t marching around to “Heat of the Summer.” The Irvine native sounded so good, some fans claimed they thought he was singing over the studio recording. 

The frontman showed off his toys, including a loop pedal and a form of vocoder over filler tracks from the new album Mirror Master. Not to let his energy go unmatched, a pumped crowd stayed hot with Comtois’ fluid body language grazing hi hats and Doostzadeh jumping on his elevated platform while strumming along to “Amerika.” 

The vocoder would only return sparingly, as Gadhia moved toward a synthesizing keyboard for the bridge of “Call Me Back.” The leading synthesizer paved the way for Gadhia to again show his vocal skills, bringing the song more emotion than the original studio recording.

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After rocking for more than an hour, the band waved at the crowd and walked off stage to dim lighting. Not a single fan was fooled.

Gadhia returned, standing on the elevated platform next to Doostzadeh in a sparkled cape to a remixed version of “Superposition.” Remixed is a kind way to put the questionable rendition, made more awkward as the returning song for an encore.

The following track made up for everything, “Tightrope” is a bop to say the least. The entire audience was shaking their hips, rolling their shoulders or bobbing their head as the entire band was standing while rocking to the strong cut off their latest record. 

With no pause in-between, Young the Giant finally performed “My Body,” which was met with phones flung in the air, desperate to get a recording of a live performance of the 2010 rock anthem. 2011 MTV awards vibes were present, concluded with a thank you to the city of Milwaukee for hosting the group once again.