Southern hospitality is no joke. That much was clear during Tuesday night’s Wild Child show. The band and its openers brought the funky, fresh, indie-folk-pop of their hometown, Austin, TX, to Capitol Hill. Between swapping band members on stage and the abundance of friends and lovers holding each other in the crowd, the collective mood was one of harmony and community.

The first opener, Helyn Rain, was introduced by Wild Child’s lead singer, Kelsey Wilson, as her sister. Barefaced, with long hair and a bohemian style, Rain played a one woman set, winning the crowd over song by song with just her guitar and her desert-witch charm. A few songs in, she pointed the crowd towards the merch stand to advertise both her double-cd with her husband, Jeffrey Left, and the herb bundles that she gathered and dried to sell at the show (I repeat, desert-witch charm). As the dreamy set continued with references to the howling at the recent super-blood-wolf-moon and an “asshole” ex, Rain established herself as a writer of endearing and magical tunes.

Next up was Batty Jr. Also hailing from Austin, the four piece band is comprised of Zeke Jarmon on vocals and guitar, Sadie Wolfe (also of Wild Child) on cello, Taylor Turner on bass, and Daniel Coborn on drums. The group delivered an energetic and playful set. Something about their giddy energy is evocative of a band of wild coyotes, fresh and festive in the young night. Bluesy instrumentals underlined lyrics like “sun so hot it burned my teeth,” and Jarmon’s drawling voice (much like Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground) helped to maintain the mood of a lazy summer afternoon spent wandering with friends.

Cody Ackors, guitar and trombone player of Wild Child, accompanied the band for a few songs, adding to the atmosphere of community. When Jarmon asked the crowd to drum on each other, they heartily obliged, and the audience was left dancing through the remainder of the performance. Cries of “this song is going to be stuck in my head!” boded well for the band as they left the stage.

With seven members — lead vocalist and violinist Kelsey Wilson, lead vocalist and baritone ukulele player Alexander Beggins, guitarist and trombonist Cody Ackors, cellist Sadie Wolfe, drummer Tom Myers, bassist Tyler Osmond, and keyboardist and trumpet player Matt Bradshaw — headliner Wild Child filled the stage. When they began their set with the easy strumming of “Coming Home,” young couples all around the crowd interlaced arms and swayed to the beat that spoke of youthful love. Leading lady Wilson guided the night with a smile and and impressive amount of vocal control. With her voice breaking in all the right places, Wilson and singer/ukulele master Beggins harmonized their way through song after song. With such a large band, it’s easy to overdo the sonic balance, but the contributions from each band member created a balanced sound, both complex and simple.

The colorful, hazy room was dreamlike as the chorus of voices in the crowd supported Wilson’s gentle repetition of the phrase “wait around all day / I wait around all day” during “Rillo Talk,” and, from there, the songs seemed to flow together, each distinct in melody and arrangement but consistent in mood. Calm declarations of love and loss are delivered wisely in Wild Child’s world, and the live performance is true to — if not more personal and soulful than — their studio recordings. As Batty Jr. pulled up Ackors to play, Wild Child pulled up Jarmon to bring his goofy energy to their set.

It truly felt like the artists were just as excited as the crowd was to be there, making Tuesday seem more like a night spent dancing with friends than simply attending a concert. From people howling at the moon with Rain, to drumming on friends and strangers with Batty Jr., to singing and dancing with the members of Wild Child, living fully in the moment was imperative to the Wild Child experience.