By Ellie Shalvarjian
Staff Writer
Only one phrase can accurately describe the mood at The Neighbourhood’s concert: beautifully chaotic. Hundreds of dedicated fans came together to watch the band perform live on October 29th at the Shrine Auditorium for “The Flood” tour.
The Neighbourhood is an LA-based alternative rock band that was formed in 2011, and recently released their second full length album “Wiped Out.” The band consists of five members: Jesse Rutherford (lead vocalist), Jeremy Freedman (guitarist), Zach Abels (guitarist), Mikey Margott (bassist), and Brandon Fried (drummer).
The Neighbourhood concert began with two opening acts which were the bands Hunny and Bad Suns. Hunny was the first band on, serving to get the fans warmed up with their relaxed indie rock sound. Bad Suns played next and because they were more well known than the previous band, the fans became more interactive and excited than before. Although the bands that opened for The Neighbourhood didn’t have the same sound as them, their different styles blended nicely together. This created a great environment by gradually introducing the fans to the different varieties of music that the concert showcased.
Fans surged forward when the band came onstage and kept on trying to move further forward to get a better view. The aggressive crowd eventually created a dangerous environment for people who were being pushed against the barricade; however, after the first couple of songs the fans calmed down and became friendly and sociable again.
The band started off by playing older songs, like “WDYWFM” and “Let it Go”, from their previous album “I Love You” and EPs “I’m Sorry” and “Thank You.” Later on the band transitioned to songs from their new album “Wiped Out” that gave fans in attendance a sneak preview of their new sound.
The Neighbourhood integrated a lot of lights and videos into their performance and focused a great deal on the atmosphere that they were creating. However, the focus on the aesthetic of their performance started to become excessive towards the end when there was a overly long drum solo with nothing else but extremely bright strobe lights and different video clips. It was boring and drawn out, and very clear that the band was only doing the drum solo for the look onstage.
While the stage setup was minimal, its strategic use of electronics and lighting helped make the most out of the small space. The stage had a screen behind it that switched between different images and video clips for each song. This made sure that there was always something unique for each song, providing an interesting view and insight into each song’s meaning.
The band started off by playing songs that the fans already knew so they could feel involved but also appreciate the newer songs later on with how they contrast the previous style that was shown. Their newer style proves to be less edgy with an increased pop influence unlike their previous style that has incorporated more of a rock and roll sound.
The opening bands and The Neighbourhood went all out and constantly did their best to make the concert as memorable as it could possibly be. The excitement from the band rubbed off onto everyone there and made the viewers satisfied and helped create a very positive experience.
The Neighbourhood have no upcoming tour dates in or around the Los Angeles area announced yet.
Leave a Reply