When a triple-bill concert took place in the room formerly known as The Space last week, it caused a minor stir in downtown Kittery. Patrons of the nearby Corner Pub wondered why a crowd of young, heavily tattooed people had gathered down the street, and customers at the adjoining Tulsi restaurant had some loud, unexpected music to accompany their dinners.

Inside the venue, a sweaty electro-dance party was blazing through the stripped-down room. The staging was rudimentary, with a few colored lights gleaming through the otherwise dark space. But the sound quality was exemplary, and the musicians and fans generated enough energy to power a small city.

The lineup consisted of Asheville, N.C.-based electro-rap duo Ear Pwr, followed by Baltimore’s new wave pop band Future Islands, and closing with Portland-based metal-rap trio Ghetto Crest. Dozens of all-ages guests showed up, many of them engaging in fantastically ridiculous dance moves beneath the steel ceiling rafters.

Composed of Sarah Reynolds and Devin Booze, Ear Pwr is in the midst of a national summer tour with Future Islands. Although the two bands have drastically different styles, it’s easy to see how they mesh in live shows, executing a powerful one-two punch of tech-infused danceability.

While Reynolds strutted about in a straw hat and sunglasses, singing semi-sensical lyrics into a corded microphone, Booze shouted into a bullhorn and flung himself around the dance floor like he was being attacked by bees. The two vocalists have one other invaluable band mate: a suitcase full of technological gadgetry that blasts high decibel electronic beats.

The audience ate it up, deriving special joy from a song Reynolds sang about (if my ears did not deceive me) a boat made of tacos. At times, the room resembled some kind of weird aerobic video on amphetamines.

Future Islands kicked the crowd’s enthusiasm up another notch. About halfway through the set, a fan took off his shirt and hurled it toward the band, triggering a domino effect across the crowd’s front tier. Before long, the room was filled with pallid, jittering bodies glazed with a film of sweat. 

The three members of Future Islands are no strangers to the Seacoast, having played in both Portsmouth and Dover in the past. Vocalist Samuel Herring fondly reminisced about playing a show alongside The Texas Governor at The Red Door when he was 19, then walking a girl across Memorial Bridge in the unrequited hope of making out with her.

Herring’s impassioned vocal attack and expressive body language are like a surreal blend of a young Joe Cocker and a new wave Billy Idol, backed by synth-driven, punk-rock dance music. Band mates William Cashion on bass and Gerrit Welmers on synthesizers provide a substrate of intense yet dreamy sound that instantly envelops listeners. The style is somewhat reminiscent of Portsmouth’s recently disbanded Tiny Whales, except with stronger vocals and no drum set.

The crowd in Kittery had thinned considerably by the time Ghetto Crest took the spotlight. The group represents a horribly awesome collision of gansta rap, death metal and operatic adventure rock. Lyricist John Merrik personified all three, wearing camouflage pants, an Iron Maiden shirt and a gold Viking helmet with horns.

Anyone who has seen the Saturday Night Live sketch where Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg rap about going to see “The Chronicles of Narnia” can understand the Ghetto Crest style (check out the SNL sketch on YouTube). But this group is comedic without being downright silly, belting out Tolkein-esque lyrics with rhythmic ferocity. 

Alongside Merrik, who lists “gettin’ money” and “slayin’ orks” among his talents, are fellow MCs Brandon Miles and Miss Alex. With heavy, unrelenting beats pumping through the amps, the rappers tore into their lyrics as if battling a dragon. Miles occasionally screeched some high notes, and Miss Alex grinded through continual hip-hop dance moves to give the tunes additional flavor. Those who stuck around crowded the band and danced without restraint.

Keep an eye out for future shows at 2 Government St. Although no music is scheduled at the moment, the barren room is undergoing a makeover and its new tenants have plans for visual arts and concerts in the future.