Gardens & Villa, accompanied by Sandy Alex G, got the audience grooving at an intimate dance party at The Maintenance Shop on Oct. 18.

The show began with Philadelphia’s indie-emo act Sandy Alex G nonchalantly taking the stage and kicking off one of many short and subdued tunes. The crowd promptly gathered in front of the stage with a handful of headbangers leading the way.

Much like the group’s lead singer, the Alex G mentioned in the band’s name, the song writing was eccentric to say the least. While some may interpret this as a flaw, it made for an interesting listening experience.

Songs would be grooving around mid-tempos and mezzo forte volume, when, without warning, the band would all rise to a dynamic climax with Alex G screaming his throat away into the mic.

The band made some awkwardly charming small talk before leaving the stage for a short intermission.

After a 15-minute break, the synthesizer from Santa Barbara, Calif. led indie-rockers Gardens & Villa to the stage and began the show with “Purple Mesas” from their 2014 album “Dunes,” accompanied by a psychedelic light show.

The first half of the set was littered with highlights from the flute-driven “Domino” to the fuzzy rocker “Spacetime.” Their single “Bullet Train” grooved hard enough that no one in the crowd could keep from busting a move.

“I like you guys and I love your dance moves,” joked lead singer Christopher Lynch, who also plays guitar and flute.

At one point Lynch even broke a string on his guitar and asked Sandy Alex G’s guitar player to lend him a guitar for the rest of the set.

The further into the set the band got, the more comfortable the crowd became. Every song would be greeted by dancing from the audience, which even included the opening band, Sandy Alex G, and a mysterious girl flaunting a lit-up Hula-Hoop.

“I remember why I loved Ames so much. You guys have the world’s cheapest drinks. 75 cents for a cocktail? You’re kidding,” Lynch said while reminiscing on the band’s first visit to the town.

The second half of the set had everyone in the audience swaying and cheering. The frantic “Echosassy” and the bouncing “Colony Glen” seemed to be crowd pleasers.

The show rounded out with the piano led “Minnesota” and the throbbing “Orange Blossom” from their 2011 self-titled album.

As the show came to a close, the band scattered into the crowd to speak with fans or attend the merch table.

The M-Shop was definitely the place to be Oct. 18. Full of dance-worthy tunes and good vibes, Gardens & Villa proved how much fun you can have with music you may have not had a chance to hear before.