Jamie Kent & The Options played a brief but fun show at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Saturday night.

The opening band was a duo called Goodchild Badchild with Evan G. on lead vocals and Anthony D. on guitar and back-up vocals. The band is reminiscent of Linkin Park, sharing their brooding chords and strong lyrics.

Evan mainly raps, while Anthony backs him up with strong performances on guitar and accompanying vocals. The duo attempted to harmonize, but because Anthony’s microphone was not loud enough, Evan’s singing dominated, while Anthony couldn’t be heard.

Despite the fact that Goodchild Badchild’s style is very different from that of Jamie Kent & The Options, the crowd seemed to enjoy it, and there were few, if any, awkward applause-less silences that sometimes accompany opening bands.

After Goodchild Badchild left the stage and sound checks were done, Tim Boucher, keyboardist for Jamie Kent & The Options, took to the stage and began playing a melancholy tune on sousaphone that sounded like a theme for a Tim Burton villain. Eventually he was joined by Jamie Kent, who began singing “Nature Boy,” the very “Dixieland funeral march” that brought the two musicians together.

Kent announced that it was his mom’s birthday and then proceeded to sing a rockabilly version of “Happy Birthday to You” that he told the crowd he had heard while on tour.

They followed this with “Mama Sing,” in which Boucher showed off his skills on piano with some improvisation that captivated and silenced the crowd. The jam then switched focus to Kent, who beat-boxed for a few measures before turning the focus to Rhees Williams on upright bass. The song closed with a three-way call and response between Boucher, Williams and Kent, who was scatting.

Next was a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” for which the band moved from the stage, through the crowd, to the stairs that lead up to the balcony. Unfortunately, there was no spotlight, so the band was playing in the dark. Even so, the song was a novelty, and not just because the song is rarely covered; Boucher’s prowess on the melodica made the song fun, albeit obscured.

The trio also played a particularly heart-felt “Once Again” before Kent invited up Pete VanSiclin on saxophone, Jay Mosall on trumpet and Keith Laudieri on drums. At this point, Williams switched to electric bass. When they played, their body language said it all. The whole band was rocking out, with Kent dancing, Williams swaying and Boucher bobbing his head to the rhythm of his fingers on the keys.

For a song called “Drop Baby Drop,” Williams took over the keyboard while Boucher picked up the sousaphone again and Kent introduced a ukulele into the menagerie of instruments already on stage. The song had a playful melody and called on the audience to sing a little call and response with Kent, reiterating the words “tango” and “mango” during the chorus.

The second-to-last song was “Bonofasitch,” off of “Neoteny.” Kent then announced that they would play one “last” song, turned around and wait for the audience to cheer for an encore, and then turned back around to play one more.

In the encore, Kent & The Options covered Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher,” a jazz tune that sounds like the score of a scandalous black and white film from the 1940s.

Overall, the show was fun and kept the audience on its toes. The band changed things up often and kept things interesting.

According to the band’s website, jamiekent.com, their next show will be in Salem on April 14, but they will be back at the Iron Horse on June 26.

Lauren Scrima can be reached at [email protected].