As Dexter & The Moonrocks closed with “Ritalin,” a touching track about dealing with drug addiction, fans screamed the lyrics, completely immersed in the music as they banged their heads and connected with lead singer James Tuffs.

Hailing from Abilene, Texas, Dexter & The Moonrocks, with support from Girl Tones, shook the packed Troubadour Saturday night, carrying on the rock ‘n roll legacy of the famous Los Angeles venue. The bands’ sounds perfectly complemented each other, with Girl Tones’ hardcore performance setting the stage for Dexter & The Moonrocks’ cool, aloof grunge.

The night began with a jolt of energy to the already amped-up crowd as Kentucky-born Girl Tones, made up of sisters Kenzie and Laila Crowe, took the stage. Girl Tones was a fitting name for their act, which, despite their unassuming attire, felt like a heavy metal show.

Lead singer Kenzie Crowe was inexhaustible, screaming into the mic; it was a miracle she didn’t lose her voice. But it was clear they were pros; their onstage presence was captivating as they rallied the crowd through their energetic performance.

Before playing their debut 2024 single “Fade Away,” Kenzie Crowe made sure to let the crowd know that she was not threatening but guaranteeing: If they stopped clapping, she would stop singing.

She was a rocket, constantly moving around the stage, hair-whipping every which way so that every person in the audience was getting the full show. At one point, she even jumped into the crowd, wildly playing her electric guitar, proving Girl Tones could keep up with the rock ‘n roll mystique surrounding the Troubadour.

The energy pulsated in the room as the crowd eagerly anticipated Dexter & The Moonrocks’ arrival, counting down as they came down the stairs to the stage.

Drummer Ryan Fox matched Girl Tones’ energy, ready to rock in his cowboy hat. He was the most expressive of all the band members, playing to the camera on stage, smiling and singing from the heart. The rest of the band — frontman James Tuffs, lead guitarist Ryan Anderson and bassist Ty Anderson — maintained a cool, calm, long-haired nonchalance.

They opened with “Where I Steer” from their debut self-titled EP. While all the band members displayed their performance expertise, Tuffs’ vocals cut through the racket of their rock clearly and melodically guided the band and the audience through the auditory experience. His voice had a unique sweetness to it, even when he put on a gravelly tone, which made his sound stand out from the average rocker.

They then seamlessly transitioned into “Space Invader,” a reference to their self-described genre of choice, western space grunge, featuring a technically impressive guitar solo from Anderson.

As a whole, the band’s sound, though chaotic, was polished as they worked together in perfect harmony. The only missing piece of their performance seemed to be their lack of visual chemistry as they stayed put without much interaction between them.

The setlist was so cohesive that it felt like each song built on the one before it perfectly, as if the set itself could be an album, even though they jumped around non-chronologically across their five-year-long discography.

Bringing it back to the present, towards the end of the set, they teased the crowd by playing an unreleased song, “about freaking out,” which, as per their usual style, started off softer and more stripped down before building to the full band.

They, too, kept the crowd engaged, encouraging them to “open the pit up” and mosh before playing a cover of Surf Curse’s hit “Freaks.”

“L.A., if you have health insurance, now’s the time to prove it,” Fox said.

After they finished the song, Fox then got back on the mic to announce that he accidentally broke the tom drum mic because he was playing so hard, but that the show must go on.

They then switched up the vibe, playing a slower tune in a refreshing change of pace, their newest song, “Flavorless,” released only three days before the show. The slower beat and soft guitar allowed Tuffs’ vocals to really shine as he sang earnestly, “I get a little tired sometimes /and now I say goodbye,” before the band kicked in to back him up.

When a stagehand came on to take Tuffs’ guitar away for the duration of their cover of Green Day’s “Basket Case,” he seemed to loosen up a little bit, interacting with the crowd who passionately sang the lyrics back at him.

Between songs, Fox led the crowd in an adorable interlude of “Happy Birthday” to his father Eric, who joined the band on stage with cake and candles. The smell of the candle wax lingered through the next song, “Wet,” from their latest EP “Donkey Flats,” adding to the soulfulness as the drummer and the bassist left the stage, leaving only Tuffs’ vocals accompanied by Anderson on acoustic guitar.

The encore, “Ritalin,” was a crowd pleaser as they sang the entire first chorus by themselves before one fan decided to crowd surf, making it all the way to the stage before being pulled off by security — a fitting end to a high-energy show, making the hallowed stage of Troubadour proud.