Deerhoof, simply put, can rock. And rock they did at Gardner Lounge at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA. Having seen the band once before opening for Wilco at the Auditorium Theater (note: they still rocked there)–I was simply blown away by just how much better they came across when I was standing a few inches away from them.

Like their albums Deerhoof puts on a live show that is quirky, noisy, and inevitably fun. The crazy intertwining guitar and synth lines are replicated and expanded on–leaving me little doubt as to the talent of these performers. Satomi makes up hand gestures for songs and goes into martial arts poses throughout the set adding more absurdity to the already crazy atmosphere. And if all that isn’t enough, Greg plays the jumpy crashing drumlines all on just a bass drum, snare, and hi-hat–no more, no less. By about the third song in the set the packed audience was jumping and dancing and pumping their fists along to the music, and enthusiastic cheering followed every song. Song highlights included an extended version of “Come See the Duck” off the bands EP Green Cosmos, which set the bar for the high-energy driving performance. “Milk Man” off the release of the same title was the real crowd favorites, sending the crowd into a dancing frenzy–and receiving a roaring round of applause. The band played a set mostly revolving around tracks off of their upcoming (October 11th) release “The Runner’s Four,” including an encore performance of “Wrong Time Capsule”–which topped off the show on just the right note–rocking, syncopating, and just generally being Deerhoof.