Everything about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (CYHSY) spells out a band that wants to have fun. From its humble, hard-working beginnings, to the peak of its commercial success, this is a group of musicians that really just wants to entertain us. So, from small venues like North Star Bar to the heights of success at Union Transfer, we circle back around to a smaller, but noticeably sold-out crowd of rabid fans at Johnny Brenda’s—which has seen its fair share of CYHSY madness in the past.

Though there is a bit of a rotating cast of characters, original member Alec Ounsworth remains at the forefront of the band’s image. He is a passionate, energetic performer, and of course, a hometown hero. Coming gently out of the gate with “Blameless,” from the new album, Only Run, the band bounced from newest right into oldest with the higher energy of “In This Home On Ice.” Despite the limited confines of the Johnny Brenda’s stage, they did a great job of keeping up the pace all night. Hitting on their entire discography, without relying too heavily on just the new album, was a nice treat as well.

Opening act Stagnant Pools did a great job of blasting out low-end rock ‘n’ roll some eager followers. A two-piece much in the same vein as Japandroids, but slowed down considerably, they blasted out some slow burn rock with subtly catchy guitar hooks, crashing drums (seriously amazing) and mumbled lyrics. One to look out for.